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NYT Connections Sports Edition · #691

NYT Connections Sports Edition Hints & Answers (#691) — August 15, 2026

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“Before you lock in any group, check whether a word could be rearranged into something completely different — at least four words here are not what they appear to be on the surface.Today's puzzle has CHIEFS, PADRES, ROCKIES and SPORTING KC, all carrying history. CHIEFS appeared just two days ago in Connections #689 (Aug 13, 2026) as one of the recent Super Bowl winners. PADRES appeared in Connections #651 (Jul 6, 2026) among San Diego franchises. ROCKIES appeared in Connections #669 (Jul 24, 2026) as a 1990s expansion team. SPORTING KC appeared in Connections #658 (Jul 13, 2026) among Kansas-based teams.”

NYT Sports Connections hints for August 15, 2026

Three levels of help — a definition for every word, colour-coded group nudges, and a heads-up on the traps. Skip to all answers →

1

Word clues

A spoiler-free definition for every word in the grid. Tap the eye on any card to reveal which colour-group it belongs to.

1 BREWERSMilwaukee lost the 1982 World Series to the Cardinals and hasn't been back since.
2 CADDIECarries the bag, reads the greens, and keeps the golfer sane.
3 CASEA generic noun with no obvious sports link — unscrambled it becomes ACES, the Las Vegas WNBA team.
4 CHIEFSKansas City's NFL team and recent Super Bowl dynasty.
5 CURRENTKansas City's NWSL team, the youngest franchise in this group.
6 GREENSKEEPERResponsible for the condition of the putting surfaces specifically.
7 MADRELooks like a Spanish word connected to PADRES — rearrange it and you get DREAM, the Atlanta WNBA franchise.
8 MARINERSSeattle has never made it to the World Series at all — the only franchise in this group that can say that.
9 PADRESSan Diego's team has reached the World Series twice but come away empty both times.
10 RIFEA plain English adjective meaning widespread — rearrange its four letters and a WNBA team name appears, though it's the least obvious of the four.
11 ROCKIESColorado reached the Fall Classic in 2007 but lost to the Red Sox in a sweep.
12 ROYALSThe MLB trap — they have won the World Series, so they belong here, not in yellow.
13 SPORTING KCKansas City's MLS soccer club, one of the league's founding members.
14 STARTERNot a lineup spot — the person who controls the pace of play from the first tee.
15 SUPERINTENDENTThe top turf management role overseeing the entire course's grounds crew.
16 SWINGDesigned to lure you toward the golf group — but rearranged it spells WINGS, the Dallas WNBA franchise.
2

Group hints

Four colour-coded groups, easiest → hardest. Every button reveals the hint, the category name, or a single word — tap only what you need.

See Hint Still waiting for that October parade after all these years.
See Group TEAMS TO NEVER WIN A WORLD SERIES
See WordPADRES
See WordMARINERS
See WordROCKIES
See WordBREWERS
See Hint The people who keep 18 holes running smoothly before your tee time.
See Group JOBS AT A GOLF COURSE
See WordCADDIE
See WordGREENSKEEPER
See WordSTARTER
See WordSUPERINTENDENT
See Hint Four franchises that all call the same Missouri city home.
See Group KANSAS CITY TEAMS
See WordCHIEFS
See WordROYALS
See WordCURRENT
See WordSPORTING KC
See Hint Each word looks like plain English but hides a pro women's basketball city inside its letters.
See Group ANAGRAMS OF WNBA TEAMS
See WordMADRE
See WordRIFE
See WordCASE
See WordSWING
3

Words the puzzle wants you to mis-group

Read these before you guess — they're the words most likely to break a streak. Tap for the trap.

1 ROYALS Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably reading it as an MLB team that's never won it all — but the Royals have won the World Series, so the puzzle is using it in a completely different geographic context.
2 SWING Tap to see why this word traps.
You're almost certainly picturing a golf swing, which makes this word feel like an obvious fit for the golf course group — but the puzzle is using it as a scrambled version of something else entirely.
3 MADRE Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably connecting it to PADRES through the Spanish — that's the bait, and it has nothing to do with baseball here.
4 STARTER Tap to see why this word traps.
You're likely thinking of a player in the starting lineup, but here it refers to a specific staff role that manages scheduling on a course.
5 CASE Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably reading it as a plain English noun with no sports angle — but rearrange the letters and a WNBA team appears.

NYT Sports Connections answers for August 15, 2026

All four groups revealed, easiest first. Each card holds the theme, the four words, and why the group works.

Y TEAMS TO NEVER WIN A WORLD SERIES · Yellow · easiest
  • PADRES
  • MARINERS
  • ROCKIES
  • BREWERS

PADRES, MARINERS, ROCKIES and BREWERS are the four MLB franchises that have never won a World Series. The MARINERS are the standout — they have never even appeared in a World Series, making them arguably the most cursed franchise in the group.

G JOBS AT A GOLF COURSE · Green · easy
  • CADDIE
  • GREENSKEEPER
  • STARTER
  • SUPERINTENDENT

CADDIE, GREENSKEEPER, STARTER and SUPERINTENDENT are all roles you would find employed at a golf course. STARTER is the sneakiest — most solvers read it as an athletic term, but on a course it refers to the person who manages tee-time flow and sends players off.

B KANSAS CITY TEAMS · Blue · medium
  • CHIEFS
  • ROYALS
  • CURRENT
  • SPORTING KC

CHIEFS, ROYALS, CURRENT and SPORTING KC are all professional sports teams based in Kansas City. CURRENT is the least well-known of the four — it's Kansas City's NWSL women's soccer team, founded in 2021.

P ANAGRAMS OF WNBA TEAMS · Purple · hardest
  • MADRE
  • RIFE
  • CASE
  • SWING

MADRE, RIFE, CASE and SWING are all anagrams of WNBA team names: DREAM (Atlanta Dream), an unverified four-letter WNBA team name for RIFE, ACES (Las Vegas Aces) and WINGS (Dallas Wings). SWING is the cruelest entry — it sits right next to the golf category and looks completely at home there, but rearranged it spells WINGS.

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