Today’s NYT Connections Sports Edition: Clues and Solutions for May 9, 2025

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Connections: Sports Edition is a new version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans. Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." Just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight, and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've provided some hints and tips to help you overcome challenges. If you prefer to see today's puzzle solution right away, you can jump to the end of this article. Otherwise, keep reading for clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

What is Connections Sports Edition? The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

Each puzzle features 16 words, and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise anything from book titles to software and country names. Even though multiple words may seem to fit together, there's only one correct answer. If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong, and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes before the game ends.

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Similar to Wordle, you can share your results with friends.

Here's a hint for today's Connections Sports Edition categories. Want a hint about the categories without being told them outright? Try these: 
Yellow: Sportswear 
Green: Ballpark backups 
Blue: Nadal, Federer, Djokovic, etc. 
Purple: Hockey achievements

Here are today's Connections Sports Edition categories. Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:
Yellow: Athletic clothing brands 
Green: Baseball relief roles 
Blue: Men's tennis players 
Purple: NHL Awards

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions. Drumroll, please! The solution to today's Connections Sports Edition #228 is...

What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition today?
Athletic clothing brands – CHAMPION, RUSSELL ATHLETIC, STARTER, UNDER ARMOUR
Baseball relief roles – CLOSER, LONG, MIDDLE, SETUP 
Men's tennis players – ALCARAZ, FRITZ, RUNE, SINNER 
NHL Awards – CALDER, HART, LADY BYNG, VEZINA 

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to challenge your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints. If you're also playing NYT Strands, see hints and answers for today's Strands. Looking for more puzzles? Hotnchill has various games available! If you need the solution for yesterday's Connections, we've got you covered too.