The New York Times' Connections: Sports Edition puzzle number 462, released on December 29, challenges players with sports-themed word groups. Published by The Athletic, this daily puzzle features hints and answers centered on fishing terms, baserunning, Chicago Bears players, and altered MLS team names.
The Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, a popular daily brainteaser from The New York Times, arrived with puzzle #462 on December 29. Unlike the standard Connections game, this sports-focused variant is produced by The Athletic, a subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It is accessible via The Athletic's app or free online, but not through the NYT Games app.
Players tackling today's edition encountered a particularly tricky purple category that involves manipulating the spelling of words. To assist, hints were provided for each group: the yellow category suggests 'Cast a line,' the green one 'Get that base,' blue refers to 'Monsters of the Midway,' and purple advises to 'Mess around with team names.'
The answers reveal clever connections. The yellow group consists of fishing terms: bobber, hook, lure, and reel. For green, baserunning outcomes include pickle, pickoff, steal, and tag. The blue category highlights members of the Chicago Bears—Kmet, Loveland, Sweat, and Swift—nodding to the team's nickname, the Monsters of the Midway.
The purple group twists Major League Soccer team names by changing the first letter: founders (from Sounders), hire (from Fire), limbers (from Timbers), and onion (from Union). This playful alteration adds a layer of wordplay that distinguishes the puzzle.
Recently out of beta, Connections: Sports Edition continues to build on the original game's format, offering fresh challenges for sports enthusiasts and puzzle solvers alike. For those seeking more, related NYT games like Wordle and the Mini Crossword provide additional daily entertainment.
