**Connections: Sports Edition – A Fresh Challenge for Sports Aficionados**
*Connections: Sports Edition* is the newest offshoot of the well-liked [New York Times word game](https://www.nytimes.com/games/connections), crafted to challenge the knowledge of sports buffs.
Much like the original *Connections*, the objective is to discover “common threads connecting words.” Analogous to *Wordle*, the game refreshes each day at midnight, with every new puzzle intensifying in difficulty. If you hit a wall, we have hints and strategies ready to assist you.
If you’re seeking today’s answer, scroll down to the bottom of this article. Prefer to solve it independently? Keep reading for hints, tactics, and tips to enhance your skills.
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### What Is *Connections: Sports Edition*?
The *New York Times* has collaborated with *The Athletic*, its sports-centered platform, to present this daily word challenge. Accessible on both web browsers and mobile devices, *Connections: Sports Edition* dares players to organize four words that convey a unified theme.
Each puzzle is made up of 16 words segmented into four categories. These categories can span from book titles to sports jargon, country titles, and beyond. While some words may appear to fit together, there’s only one valid grouping for each collection.
When you accurately identify a group, those words are cleared from the board. However, wrong guesses are counted as errors, and players can make up to four mistakes before the game concludes.
To aid gameplay, players can rearrange the board for better visibility of connections. Groups are color-coded by difficulty: yellow (easiest), then green, blue, and purple (most challenging). Similar to *Wordle*, you can share your scores with friends on social media.
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### Hints for Today’s *Connections: Sports Edition* Categories
Need a little push? Here are some hints for today’s categories:
– **Yellow:** Touchdown stoppers
– **Green:** Teams from Kitty Hawk’s vicinity
– **Blue:** “Drop goal” excluded
– **Purple:** Former basketball squads
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### Today’s *Connections: Sports Edition* Categories
Still in a jam? Here are the detailed categories for today’s puzzle:
– **Yellow:** Football Defense Moves
– **Green:** Teams in North Carolina
– **Blue:** Rugby Vocabulary
– **Purple:** Past WNBA Teams
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### Today’s *Connections: Sports Edition* Solution
Ready for the answers? This is your final chance to change your mind if you wish to solve the puzzle yourself.
Here comes the drumroll!
Here’s the solution to today’s *Connections: Sports Edition* puzzle (#68):
– **Football Defense Moves:** DEFLECTION, INTERCEPTION, SACK, TACKLE
– **Teams in North Carolina:** HORNETS, HURRICANES, TAR HEELS, WOLFPACK
– **Rugby Vocabulary:** MAUL, RUCK, SCRUM, TRY
– **Past WNBA Teams:** COMETS, MONARCHS, STARZZ, STING
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### Don’t Worry If You Missed It
If you didn’t solve today’s puzzle, don’t feel disheartened! A fresh *Connections* puzzle will be available tomorrow, and we’ll return with more hints and solutions for your assistance.
In search of more games? Explore [Mashable’s games hub](https://games.mashable.com/) for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crosswords, and much more.
Want to take on another challenge? [Here’s today’s Wordle answer](https://mashable.com/article/wordle-today-answer-december-4-2024) or discover tips for [NYT Strands](https://mashable.com/article/strands-nyt-hint-december-4).
Missed yesterday’s *Connections*? [Here’s the solution](https://mashable.com/article/nyt-connections-hint-answer-today-december-4).
Enjoy puzzling!