Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints, Answers for March 7 #165

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Connections: Sports Edition might be tough today. Some of the categories are fun, but oof, that purple group. Read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl SundayFeb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it 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: Don’t do this!

Green group hint: Omaha, Omaha!

Blue group hint: Break in the action

Purple group hint: Shall we draw, or throw?

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Banned by baseball

Green group: Pre-snap football motions

Blue group: Used during a timeout

Purple group: Art but make it sports

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is banned by baseball. The four answers are betting, corked bat, spitball and steroids.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is pre-snap football motions. The four answers are audible, hard count, motion and shift.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is used during a timeout. The four answers are chair, towel, water bottle and white board.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is art but make it sports. The four answers are draw play, gallery, pitch framing and the paint.

Quick tips for Connections: Sports Edition

#1: Don’t grab for the easiest group. For each word, think about other sports categories it might fit in – is this a word that can be used in football, or to describe scoring options?

#2: Second meanings are important. The puzzle loves to use last names and even college names that mean other things, to fool you into thinking they are words, not names.

#3: And the opposite is also true. Words like HURTS might seem like a regular word, but it’s also the last name of at least one pro athlete.