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NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle #251 is the Sunday, June 1, 2025 puzzle. Read the spoiler-safe hints first; the complete categories and 16-word answer key are below a clear spoiler warning.
Hints for Connections #251
Connections uses 16 words that must be sorted into four groups of four. In Sports Edition, the rules are the same as the standard game. The colors indicate the general difficulty order: yellow is easiest and purple is trickiest. Since words may appear to fit more than one group, look for a shared connection across all four words rather than committing to the first plausible match. NYT’s overview of Sports Edition explains the format.
- Yellow: Think of an unfavorable position during a game.
- Green: Think of a college-sports conference.
- Blue: Look for a shared mascot name.
- Purple: Think about the last words of football-related movie titles.
Spoilers: Full answers for June 1
Stop here if you are still solving. The categories and answers are revealed below.
| Color | Category | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Not winning | BEHIND, DOWN, LOSING, TRAILING |
| Green | SEC schools | GEORGIA, KENTUCKY, TENNESSEE, VANDERBILT |
| Blue | Cardinals | ARIZONA, BALL STATE, LOUISVILLE, ST. LOUIS |
| Purple | Last words of football movie titles | BLUES, LIGHTS, TITANS, YARD |
How the four groups connect
Yellow: Not winning
BEHIND, DOWN, LOSING, and TRAILING all describe being behind or not ahead in a contest.
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Green: SEC schools
GEORGIA, KENTUCKY, TENNESSEE, and VANDERBILT are the school names in this puzzle’s Southeastern Conference grouping.
Blue: Cardinals
ARIZONA, BALL STATE, LOUISVILLE, and ST. LOUIS share the team name Cardinals.
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Purple: Last words of football movie titles
BLUES, LIGHTS, TITANS, and YARD are the answer words for the movie-title category. The category is the final, trickiest grouping; the answer source supplies these words but does not identify the titles, so the connection is best read as the category label rather than as a list of film names.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Can you replay this Sports Edition puzzle?
NYT’s current Games FAQ says Sports Edition does not have an archive, so it does not establish an official replay for this historical puzzle. The FAQ says the general Connections archive goes back to June 12, 2023 and is available to All Access and Games subscribers; that archive statement does not apply to Sports Edition. It also says the daily game releases at midnight in the player’s timezone and can be played without registering on supported platforms, including the NYT Games site, The Athletic site or app, and the NYT News app.
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