NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for May 6, Puzzle #225
Today’s Connections: Sports Edition, puzzle #225 for May 6, brings a balanced mix of categories—some light and familiar, others obscure unless you follow certain sports closely. If you’re looking to solve the grid or simply want to understand the logic behind today’s answers, here’s your full breakdown, complete with hints and thematic groupings.
About Connections: Sports Edition
Originally launched on Super Bowl Sunday (Feb. 9), Connections: Sports Edition is no longer in beta and has found a permanent spot in The Athletic’s platform.
- Unlike the standard version, this spin-off puzzle focuses on sports-centric wordplay.
- You can access it through The Athletic app or continue to play online for free, even if it’s not yet integrated into the NYT Games app.
Hints for May 6 Connections: Sports Edition
If you’d like to try solving without seeing the answers, here are today’s group hints, from easiest to most abstract:
- Yellow group hint: Sorry, stop playing.
- Think of words related to being eliminated from a tournament or losing a match.
- Green group hint: Lights, camera, pitch it!
- Consider well-known baseball films from Hollywood.
- Blue group hint: The Greatest Setting is another one.
- Focus on nicknames of iconic college football stadiums.
- Purple group hint: Football monikers.
- This refers to famous nicknames of NFL running backs, typically earned by legendary players.
Answers for Today’s Sports Edition Puzzle
These are the official theme groupings for Puzzle #225, along with each word included:
- Yellow (Take out of a competition):
- Bounce, Defeat, Eliminate, Knock Out
- All four are verbs used to describe removing a team or player from a tournament.
- Green (Baseball movies):
- 42, Major League, The Natural, The Rookie
- These are all popular films that center around the sport of baseball.
- Blue (Nicknames for college football stadiums):
- Death Valley, The Big House, The Horseshoe, The Swamp
- These iconic venues are known for their distinct atmospheres and fervent fanbases.
- Purple (Famous running back nicknames):
- Beast Mode, LT, Sweetness, The Bus
- These nicknames belong to Marshawn Lynch, LaDainian Tomlinson, Walter Payton, and Jerome Bettis, respectively.
Toughest Past Sports Edition Categories
Some Connections: Sports Edition puzzles have been notably difficult, especially when tied to specific leagues or international teams:
- #1: Series A Clubs (Jan. 11)
- Featured Italian soccer teams: Atalanta, Juventus, Lazio, Roma.
- #2: WNBA MVPs (Jan. 21)
- Included stars like Catchings, Delle Donne, Fowles, and Stewart.
- #3: Premier League Team Nicknames (Jan. 17)
- Used animal nicknames like Bees, Cherries, Foxes, and Hammers.
- #4: NBA Player Name Homophones (Jan. 26)
- A wordplay-heavy set with Barns, Connect, Heart, and Hero.
These examples show that success in the puzzle often depends on your specific sports knowledge. Whether you follow the WNBA, Serie A, or Premier League, each puzzle brings a unique challenge.
