Today's Connections: Sports Edition might be tough. The blue category is about a backyard game that I just don't think of as a true sport, and the purple category is one of those patented NYT word-trickery groups. Read on for hints and the answers.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.