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Today’s Connections: Sports Edition was a bit of a stumper, though if you recognize famous-athlete names, you might get the purple category right away. And you might have never heard of the blue category topic. (That link is a big spoiler.) If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.
Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta
Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: Sports in our nation’s capital.
Green group hint: Got any Band-Aids?
Blue group hint: Certain basketball league.
Purple group hint: Same first name.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: A DC athlete.
Green group: Supplies for an athletic trainer.
Blue group: Unrivaled teams.
Purple group: Jerry ____.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?
The completed NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Jan. 8, 2026.
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is a DC athlete. The four answers are Capital, Commander, Mystic and Wizard.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is supplies for an athletic trainer. The four answers are bandages, ice pack, scissors and tape.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is Unrivaled teams. The four answers are Breeze, Laces, Phantom and Vinyl.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is Jerry ____. The four answers are Lucas, Rice, Stackhouse and West.
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