The New York Times Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Jan. 12, No. 476, challenged players with categories ranging from Olympic events to football trivia.
At a Glance
- Decathlon events formed the easiest yellow category
- Pittsburgh Steelers references dominated the green group
- C.J. Stroud’s career highlights appeared in blue
- San Francisco-themed abbreviations created the toughest purple category
- Why it matters: Sports fans use these daily puzzles to test their knowledge across multiple disciplines
The puzzle, published by The Athletic rather than the NYT Games app, requires players to group 16 words into four categories of four related items each. Ethan R. Coleman, who has covered entertainment and pop culture since 1989, noted the difficulty level while providing hints for struggling solvers.
Puzzle Structure and Difficulty
The Athletic’s version follows the same format as the original Connections game but focuses exclusively on sports-related themes. Players can access it through The Athletic’s app or play online for free, unlike the regular NYT Games version.
The difficulty progression follows the standard pattern:
- Yellow (easiest): Decathlon events
- Green: Pittsburgh Steelers associations
- Blue: C.J. Stroud connections
- Purple (hardest): “SF” abbreviation meanings
Yellow Category: Olympic Athletics
The simplest grouping required knowledge of track and field. The four decathlon events hidden in the puzzle were:
- 100 meters
- Discus
- Long jump
- Shot put
These classic Olympic disciplines represent core components of the decathlon, making this category accessible to casual sports fans.
Green Category: Steel City Football
The Pittsburgh Steelers theme tested NFL knowledge through team-specific references:
- Black and yellow (team colors)
- Immaculate Reception (famous play)
- Renegade (team anthem)
- Terrible Towels (fan tradition)
This category rewarded fans familiar with Steelers history and culture rather than just statistics.
Blue Category: Rising Quarterback
C.J. Stroud’s rapid NFL ascent provided the blue category connections:
- No. 2 pick (draft position)
- Ohio State (college)
- Rookie of the Year (award)
- Texans (current team)
The grouping highlighted key milestones from Stroud’s transition from college standout to professional star.
Purple Category: Bay Area Ambiguity
The most challenging category required interpreting “SF” abbreviations across different contexts:
- 49ers (football team)
- Sacrifice fly (baseball statistic)
- Semifinal (tournament round)
- Small forward (basketball position)
This meta-category forced players to think beyond single-sport knowledge and consider how initials can represent entirely different concepts.
Access and Availability
Unlike regular NYT Connections puzzles, Sports Edition appears exclusively through The Athletic platform. The subscription-based sports journalism site, owned by The New York Times Company, offers these puzzles as part of its digital content.
Players have three access methods:
- The Athletic’s mobile app
- Free online version
- Website browser play
The puzzle launched out of beta testing recently, expanding the Connections franchise into sports-specific territory.
Key Takeaways
The Jan. 12 puzzle demonstrated how sports trivia spans multiple disciplines – from Olympic track events to NFL franchises to modern player achievements. The purple category’s “SF” trick particularly challenged solvers to think abstractly about common abbreviations.
Regular Connections players benefit from understanding this sports variant uses the same mechanics but requires different knowledge bases. The Athletic’s version rewards both casual fans and dedicated followers across multiple sports rather than focusing on a single league or era.
