Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Dec. 29, No. 462.
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Co-author of two Gen X pop-culture encyclopedia for Penguin Books. Won “Headline Writer of the Year” award for 2017, 2014 and 2013 from the American Copy Editors Society. Won first place in headline writing from the 2013 Society for Features Journalism. Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.
Today’s Connections: Sports Edition has an especially difficult purple category, where you need to play with the spelling of certain words. 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 appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.
Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta
Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groupsHere 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: Cast a line.
Green group hint: Get that base.
Blue group hint: Monsters of the Midway.
Purple group hint: Mess around with team names.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groupsYellow group: Fishing terms.
Green group: Baserunning outcomes.
Blue group: Members of the Chicago Bears.
Purple group: MLS teams, with the first letter changed.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers? The completed NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Dec. 29, 2025.
NYT/Screenshot by CNETThe yellow words in today’s ConnectionsThe theme is fishing terms. The four answers are bobber, hook, lure and reel.
The green words in today’s ConnectionsThe theme is baserunning outcomes. The four answers are pickle, pickoff, steal and tag.
The blue words in today’s ConnectionsThe theme is members of the Chicago Bears. The four answers are Kmet, Loveland, Sweat and Swift.
The purple words in today’s ConnectionsThe theme is MLS teams, with the first letter changed. The four answers are founders (Sounders), hire (Fire), limbers (Timbers) and onion (Union).
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