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Today's Connections: Sports Edition is a bit of a mix. I enjoyed the blue and purple categories today. If you're struggling with today's puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn't appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic's own app. Or you can play it for 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: Get the gold medal.
Green group hint: Nation's capital.
Blue group hint: Like McCartney.
Purple group hint: Join a bowling ____.
Answers for today's Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Summer Olympic sports.
Green group: DC schools.
Blue group: Pauls.
Purple group: ____ league.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words.
What are today's Connections: Sports Edition answers?
The completed NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Feb. 17, 2026.
The yellow words in today's Connections
The theme is summer Olympic sports. The four answers are fencing, golf, judo and rugby.
The green words in today's Connections
The theme is DC schools. The four answers are American, George Washington, Georgetown and Howard.
The blue words in today's Connections
The theme is Pauls. The four answers are Coffey, George, Molitor and Skenes.
The purple words in today's Connections
The theme is ____ league. The four answers are cactus, G, grapefruit and little.