At a Glance
- The Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Jan. 4, No. 468 features four color-coded categories
- Yellow group clues items that are literally yellow, from foul poles to the Tour de France leader
- Green group ties to the Green Bay Packers, including Lambeau and cheesehead
- Why it matters: Daily puzzle fans get a fresh sports-themed brain teaser outside the NYT Games app
Puzzle lovers hunting for today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers can stop scrolling. The Athletic’s standalone spin-off hides its daily grids in its own app and website, not inside the familiar NYT Games menu.
Today’s Color-Driven Clues
Each grouping leans on a single color as its anchor. The yellow band is the easiest, while purple asks you to spot teams known for their royal-hued uniforms.
- Yellow hint: Think bananas
- Green hint: Fans literally own the franchise
- Blue hint: North Carolina college power
- Purple hint: Regal shade on jerseys
Group Answers Revealed
Yellow – Things that are yellow
- Foul pole
- Georgia Tech
- Softball (the ball)
- Tour de France leader
Green – Associated with the Green Bay Packers
- Cheesehead
- Frozen Tundra
- Lambeau
- Titletown
Blue – Associated with the Duke Blue Devils
- Cameron (Cameron Indoor Stadium)
- Krzyzewskiville
- The Shot (Christian Laettner’s buzzer-beater)
- Tobacco Road
Purple – Teams that wear purple
- Northwestern
- Ravens
- Rockies
- Vikings
Tougher Recent Categories
Some past boards that stumped players:
- Series A Clubs – Atalanta, Juventus, Lazio, Roma
- WNBA MVPs – Catchings, Delle Donne, Fowles, Stewart
- Premier League nicknames – Bees, Cherries, Foxes, Hammers
- Homophones of NBA names – Barns, Connect, Heart, Hero
Key Takeaways
- The Athletic, owned by the Times, publishes the daily puzzle separately from the NYT Games app
- Color themes drive every group in the Jan. 4 edition
- Knowing college hoops lore helps with Duke clues
- NFL fans breeze through Packers references
Today’s grid shows how sports trivia and color cues collide-perfect for a quick competitive hit before kickoff.
