For fans of word puzzles with a competitive edge, today’s Connections: Sports Edition offers a challenging yet rewarding mix of athletic trivia and pop culture. Published by The Athletic—the sports journalism platform owned by The New York Times—this specific puzzle variant is distinct from the standard Connections game found in the NYT Games app. Instead, it is available through The Athletic’s app or for free online.
Puzzle #591, dated May 7, is designed to test your knowledge across four categories, ranging from accessible brand recognition to more obscure historical nicknames and cinema titles. Below is a breakdown of the hints, answers, and strategic advice to help you solve the grid efficiently.
Puzzle Overview and Hints
The puzzle is structured into four color-coded groups, ranked from easiest (yellow) to most difficult (purple). Understanding the thematic link within each group is key to avoiding common pitfalls.
- Yellow Group Hint: “If the shoe fits.”
- Green Group Hint: “Fore!”
- Blue Group Hint: “Take me out to the ball game.”
- Purple Group Hint: “Cinema titles.”
The Answers
Here are the specific solutions for today’s grid, organized by category.
🟨 Yellow: Sneaker Brands
The easiest group consists of well-known athletic footwear manufacturers.
* Converse
* New Balance
* Saucony
* Under Armour
🟩 Green: U.S. Open Golf Courses
This group requires knowledge of prestigious venues that have hosted the U.S. Open championship.
* Pebble Beach
* Shinnecock Hills
* Torrey Pines
* Winged Foot
🟦 Blue: Famous MLB Team Nicknames
The blue category focuses on historical monikers given to specific Major League Baseball teams, rather than their standard city-based names.
* Amazin’ Mets
* Big Red Machine
* Gas House Gang
* Murderers’ Row
🟪 Purple: Movies Featuring NFL Team Names
The most challenging group connects film titles with the names of National Football League franchises. Solvers must look past the movie plot to identify the team reference within the title.
* Little Giants (Giants)
* Raiders of the Lost Ark (Raiders)
* Remember the Titans (Titans)
* The Bad News Bears (Bears)
Strategic Tips for Solving
To improve your performance on future Sports Editions, consider these three strategic approaches:
- Resist the First Impulse: Do not immediately select the words that seem most obviously related. A word might fit into multiple potential categories (e.g., a term used in both football and scoring systems). Pause to consider alternative sports contexts.
- Watch for Double Meanings: The puzzle frequently exploits ambiguity. Last names of athletes or colleges may also be common nouns, designed to mislead you into grouping them incorrectly.
- Reverse the Logic: Conversely, common words might actually be surnames of professional athletes. For example, the word “HURTS” appears to be a verb but is also the last name of a prominent NFL player.
Key Takeaway: Success in Connections: Sports Edition relies less on obscure trivia and more on recognizing overlapping linguistic patterns. By slowing down and questioning the primary association of each word, you can avoid traps and solve the puzzle with greater accuracy.
