NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle #297, dated Thursday, July 17, 2025, groups 16 sports-related words into four sets of four. Start with the four hints below if you want to keep the spoilers light; the category names and complete answer sets follow.
How the puzzle works
Connections: Sports Edition asks players to “group sports terms that share a common thread,” according to an instruction attributed to the NYT site by Parade. The game was described in July 2025 coverage as a New York Times and The Athletic partnership with 16 words split into four groups of four, and a new puzzle each day. Yahoo Sports reported at the time that it appeared in The Athletic app and was also playable free online; those are historical access details, not a statement about current availability.
Hints for July 17, 2025
These clues, reported by Parade and Yahoo Sports, are listed from least to most revealing:
- Yellow: WKRP
- Green: Ahoy!
- Blue: The only prescription is more cowbell.
- Purple: Fancy fores.
Category names
Stop here if you only wanted the themes and would rather solve the word groups yourself:
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- Yellow: Cincinnati teams minus the S
- Green: Sailing terms
- Blue: Members of the Indiana Fever
- Purple: “Royal” Open Championship venues
Answers for Connections: Sports Edition #297
The answer groups below match the category labels reported by Parade and Yahoo Sports.
Yellow: Cincinnati teams minus the S
BEARCAT, BENGAL, MUSKETEER, RED
Green: Sailing terms
HULL, KEEL, MAST, RUDDER
Blue: Members of the Indiana Fever
BOSTON, CLARK, HOWARD, MITCHELL
Purple: “Royal” Open Championship venues
BIRKDALE, LIVERPOOL, PORTRUSH, ST. GEORGE’S
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Sources and verification
Parade and Yahoo Sports published matching reports of the puzzle number, hints, categories, and answers. No primary NYT archive or official answer key was located in the reporting available for this historical puzzle, so its solution is attributed to those contemporary secondary accounts.
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