Ever felt like you're on a sports trivia rollercoaster?  Today's puzzle game is all about sports.  The game is called Connections: Sports Edition.  It's a fun way to test your sports knowledge.  The game is now out of its testing phase and is available to play.  It was released on the day of the Super Bowl.  This means the game has enough fans to keep going.  The game is not in the New York Times Games app.  Instead, it's in The Athletic's app.  You can also play it for free online.  Let's dive into the hints and answers for today's puzzle.

First, let's talk about the hints.  There are four groups in today's puzzle, each with its own hint.  The easiest group is the yellow one.  The hint for this group is "Plan. "  The green group's hint is "Land of 10, 000 lakes. "  The blue group's hint is "Going to games isn't free. "  The purple group's hint is "Cleveland Barons is one. "

Now, let's look at the answers.  The yellow group's theme is "Strategy. "  The four answers are "gambit, " "maneuver, " "move, " and "tactic. "  The green group's theme is "Current Minnesota teams. "  The four answers are "Golden Gophers, " "Lynx, " "Vikings, " and "Wild. "  The blue group's theme is "Things one buys at a sporting event. "  The four answers are "food, " "program, " "souvenir, " and "ticket. "  The purple group's theme is "Former NHL teams. "  The four answers are "Coyotes, " "Golden Seals, " "North Stars, " and "Whalers. "

Playing this game can be tricky.  Here are some tips to help you out.  First, don't jump to the easiest group.  Think about other sports categories each word might fit into.  Is this a word that can be used in football, or to describe scoring options?  Second, pay attention to second meanings.  The puzzle loves to use last names and even college names that mean other things, to fool you into thinking they are words, not names.  And the opposite is also true.  Words like "HURTS" might seem like a regular word, but it's also the last name of at least one pro athlete.

Sports Puzzle Challenge: Unlocking the Connections

Actions