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Today’s Connections: Sports Edition has four logos instead of words. Some people like that, some hate it. I struggle with it — give me written clues every day of the week. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.
NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta
Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: Dive in.
Green group hint: Football division.
Blue group hint: Lone Star State.
Purple group hint: Hockey monikers.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Found at a pool.
Green group: AFC South teams.
Blue group: Texas college teams.
Purple group: NHL player nicknames.
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What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?
The completed NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Oct. 4, 2025.
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is found at a pool. The four answers are lifeguard, noodle, towel and tube.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is AFC South teams. The four answers are Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville and Tennessee.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is Texas college teams. The four answers are Baylor, Rice, SMU and Texas Tech.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is NHL player nicknames. The four answers are McJesus, Ovi, Pasta and Sid the Kid.
Toughest Connections: Sports Edition categories
The Connections: Sports Edition puzzle can be tough, but it really depends on which sports you know the most about. My husband aces anything having to do with Formula 1, my best friend is a hockey buff, and I can answer any question about Minnesota teams.
That said, it’s hard to pick the toughest Connections categories, but here are some I found exceptionally mind-blowing recently.
#1: Series A Clubs, Jan. 11. Answers: Atalanta, Juventus, Lazio, Roma.
#2: WNBA MVPs, Jan. 21. Answers: Catchings, Delle Donne, Fowles and Stewart.
#3: Premier League team nicknames, Jan. 17. Answers: Bees, Cherries, Foxes and Hammers.
#4: Homophones of NBA player names, Jan. 26. Answers: Barns, Connect, Heart and Hero.
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