Connections: Sports Edition takes the word association format of its non-sporting counterpart, NYT Connections, and makes the terms a little more athletic. Since the puzzle game features terminology for almost every major sport, finding out the Sports Connection answers can get pretty tricky. So, if you’re looking for yesterday’s Sports Connections hints, learn the hints and answers for game #473 from January 9, 2026.
Sports Connections Hint and Answers for Yesterday
Sports Connections features four different categories, each growing in difficulty. We start with the easiest in yellow before the difficult spike gets steeper as we approach Green and Blue, and finally, it culminates in purple, which is the toughest of them all.
The difficulty of each section is based on the connection strength of the words. This means directly connected words, like the names of skill moves in soccer, are placed in the easier groups, while loosely connected or more specifically associated words, such as the names of Knicks Hall of Famers, sit in the difficult sections. If you’re looking to learn more about the game, including useful tips and strategies, be sure to check out our deep dive on how to play Sports Connections.
With all that out of the way, here are the NYT Sports Connections hints and answers for January 9, 2026:
Difficulty Level for Yesterday’s Connections Sports
Based on my experience, the difficulty level for Yesterday’s Sports Connections was a 2 out of 5.
The difficulty for most puzzle games is subjective, but Sports Connections, in particular, is trickier to classify since most people specialize in different sports. If you disagree with my verdict, please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Be sure to keep the winning streak going and check out today’s Sports Connections hints right here while you’re at it.
If you struggled with yesterday’s puzzle, remember that you can always play a new game the next day, and we’ll be back with another guide to help you out.
Here are the category-wise Connections: Sports Edition hints for yesterday – Yellow: Road to the Lombardi, Green: Air-Time Lingo, Blue: Late-Stage Capitalism Courts, and Purple: Devils Come in Colors.
The Sports Connections categories for yesterday are Yellow: NFL Playoff Rounds, Green: Jumping Ability, Blue: NBA Arenas, and Purple: ___ Devils.
No, Connections Sports Edition is exclusively available on The Athletic’s website and is not present in the NYT Games App.
The Sports Connection puzzle is released daily at midnight local time.
Yes, you can play an infinite version of the popular puzzle game on the Sports Connections Unlimited website.
