Looking for help with today's NYT Connections Sports Edition? Here are all the hints and answers for Sports Edition #537 on March 14, 2026.
What Is NYT Connections Sports Edition?
NYT Connections Sports Edition is the sports-themed variant of the popular NYT Connections puzzle, published by The Athletic — the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The New York Times. It runs on weekdays and weekends alongside the main Connections game, but focuses entirely on sports topics. You won't find it in the NYT Games app; it lives in The Athletic's own app, or it for free online.
Like the original, it challenges players to group 16 words into four categories of four, finding the hidden theme linking each group. Categories are color-coded by difficulty: yellow is easiest, green is medium, blue is hard, and purple is the trickiest. You get four mistakes before the game ends.
If you enjoy sports puzzles, also check out our March 13, 2026 NYT Connections Sports Edition #536 hints and answers.
How to Play Connections Sports Edition
- Group four words that share a hidden sports-related theme
- Start with the color you feel most confident about
- Use the shuffle button to spot patterns you may have missed
- Watch out for words that could belong to more than one category — misdirection is part of the game
Hints for Connections Sports Edition #537 — March 14, 2026
Not ready for the full answers? Here are gentle category hints:
- 🟨 Yellow (Easiest): Something you're not allowed to do in a baseball game
- 🟩 Green: Sports teams associated with the state of Georgia
- 🟦 Blue: Trophies and prizes awarded in golf
- 🟪 Purple (Hardest): Named matchups between long-standing college football rivals
Today's Connections Sports Edition Categories — March 14, 2026
Here are the actual category names:
- 🟨 Yellow: BANNED IN BASEBALL
- 🟩 Green: A GEORGIA ATHLETE
- 🟦 Blue: GOLF AWARDS
- 🟪 Purple: COLLEGE FOOTBALL RIVALRIES
Full answers:
- 🟨 BANNED IN BASEBALL: Betting, Corked Bat, Spitball, Steroids
- 🟩 A GEORGIA ATHLETE: Brave, Falcon, Hawk, Yellow Jacket
- 🟦 GOLF AWARDS: Claret Jug, Green Jacket, Solheim Cup, Wanamaker Trophy
- 🟪 COLLEGE FOOTBALL RIVALRIES: Backyard Brawl, Bedlam, Egg Bowl, The Game
Today's puzzle had some clever misdirection packed in. The green category — Georgia athletes — could easily trip up players who associated BRAVE, FALCON, or HAWK with general animal or superhero imagery rather than Atlanta's pro sports teams (the Braves, Falcons, and Hawks) and Georgia Tech's Yellow Jackets. Meanwhile, the purple category asked players to name specific college rivalry game titles, so anyone unfamiliar with the WVU–Pitt "Backyard Brawl" or the Oklahoma–Oklahoma State "Bedlam" matchup would have found it genuinely tricky even by purple standards.
Tips for Solving Today's Puzzle
Think Atlanta first for the Georgia category. BRAVE, FALCON, and HAWK are all Atlanta pro team nicknames — and YELLOW JACKET points to Georgia Tech. If you kept second-guessing those words, that's where they belonged.
Golf trophies have specific names. The CLARET JUG goes to The Open Championship winner, the GREEN JACKET is awarded at The Masters, the WANAMAKER TROPHY is the PGA Championship prize, and the SOLHEIM CUP is the women's team event. Knowing your major hardware makes the blue category straightforward.
The baseball bans are specific violations. STEROIDS, SPITBALL, CORKED BAT, and BETTING have all led to suspensions or lifetime bans in MLB history — Pete Rose being the most famous betting case.
The purple rivalry names are nicknames, not team names. BACKYARD BRAWL, BEDLAM, EGG BOWL, and THE GAME are all named rivalry contests between specific college programs, not the schools themselves. If you were trying to think of team names, you were looking in the wrong direction.
Don't feel discouraged if today's puzzle stumped you. A brand new Connections Sports Edition puzzle resets daily, and we'll have fresh hints and answers ready.