NYT Connections Sports Edition · #697

NYT Connections Sports Edition Hints & Answers (#697) — August 21, 2026

By Sneha Rajput·August 21, 2026

“Lock in the category where every word is unambiguously one thing before you touch anything that could belong to two places.BASEBALL has appeared in this puzzle series twice recently — as part of things that are thrown in Connections #681 (Aug 5, 2026), and as a type of glove in Connections #665 (Jul 20, 2026). Today it is being used in a completely different sense.”

NYT Sports Connections hints for August 21, 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 →

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 12Tom Brady's jersey number throughout his entire NFL career — so iconic it was retired by the Patriots.

2 400 METERSThe longest pure running event in the decathlon, saved for the brutal final event of day one.

3 501The standard competitive darts format — players start at 501 points and race to reach exactly zero.

4 BASEBALLLooks like the sport — it's actually a darts game played over nine innings, mirroring the sport's structure.

5 BELICHICKHis coaching record screams Brady connection — but his first name is Bill, which is why he lands here.

6 BUFFALOThe NFL franchise whose full name is the Buffalo Bills — BILL is right there in the team name.

7 CRICKETLooks like the bat-and-ball sport — it's actually one of the most popular social darts games, targeting numbers 15 through 20 and the bullseye.

8 HAT BRIMThe projecting front of a cap is called a bill — the most everyday, non-sports meaning in this group.

9 HIGH JUMPA decathlon staple where athletes clear a horizontal bar using the Fosbury Flop technique.

10 JAVELINOne of three throwing events in the decathlon — athletes hurl a spear-like implement for distance.

11 KILLERA darts game where each player has a set number of lives and tries to eliminate opponents by hitting their assigned number.

12 MICHIGANThe university where Brady played college football before being drafted in the sixth round in 2000.

13 NEW ENGLANDThe Patriots franchise where Brady won six Super Bowls over two decades.

14 POLE VAULTThe most technically demanding decathlon event — athletes sprint, plant a flexible pole, and launch themselves over a bar.

15 RUSSELLBill Russell — the Boston Celtics legend who won eleven NBA championships, one of the greatest winners in sports history.

16 TAMPA BAYThe Buccaneers team Brady joined in 2020, winning a Super Bowl in his first season there.

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

Ten grueling disciplines, one exhausted champion.

See Group

DECATHLON EVENTS

See Word

400 METERS

See Word

POLE VAULT

See Word

HIGH JUMP

See Word

JAVELIN

See Hint

One quarterback's career stops and signature digits.

See Group

ASSOCIATED WITH TOM BRADY

See Word

NEW ENGLAND

See Word

TAMPA BAY

See Word

MICHIGAN

See Hint

Step up to the oche and pick your format.

See Group

DART GAMES

See Word

501

See Word

BASEBALL

See Word

CRICKET

See Word

KILLER

See Hint

Four very different things share a one-syllable name.

See Group

WHAT "BILL" MIGHT REFER TO

See Word

BELICHICK

See Word

BUFFALO

See Word

HAT BRIM

See Word

RUSSELL

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 BASEBALL Tap to see why this word traps.

You're picturing America's pastime — that's the bait. Here the puzzle is using it as the name of a darts game variant, not a sport played on a diamond.

2 CRICKET Tap to see why this word traps.

You're thinking of the bat-and-ball sport played in England and South Asia — but here it's the name of a popular darts game, not a sport in its own right.

3 BUFFALO Tap to see why this word traps.

You're probably thinking of the city in New York or the large North American animal — but the puzzle is using it as a proper name, not a place or a creature.

4 BELICHICK Tap to see why this word traps.

Your brain goes straight to the New England dynasty and Tom Brady's coach — but the puzzle is not grouping him by his coaching résumé or his famous employer.

NYT Sports Connections answers for August 21, 2026

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

Y DECATHLON EVENTS · Yellow · easiest

400 METERS
POLE VAULT
HIGH JUMP
JAVELIN

400 METERS, POLE VAULT, HIGH JUMP and JAVELIN are all events contested in the decathlon. The decathlon spans two days and ten events, mixing track and field disciplines — the throwing events are shot put, discus and javelin, making JAVELIN one of three throws in the full set.

G ASSOCIATED WITH TOM BRADY · Green · easy

12
NEW ENGLAND
TAMPA BAY
MICHIGAN

12, NEW ENGLAND, TAMPA BAY and MICHIGAN are all associated with Tom Brady — his jersey number, his two NFL franchises, and his college. Brady wore number 12 for his entire NFL career, making it inseparable from his identity.

B DART GAMES · Blue · medium

501
BASEBALL
CRICKET
KILLER

501, BASEBALL, CRICKET and KILLER are all variants of darts games played on a standard dartboard. BASEBALL is the sneakiest — almost every solver reads it as the American sport before the darts connection clicks.

P WHAT "BILL" MIGHT REFER TO · Purple · hardest

BELICHICK
BUFFALO
HAT BRIM
RUSSELL

BELICHICK, BUFFALO, HAT BRIM and RUSSELL can all be called a BILL — Bill Belichick, the Buffalo Bills, the brim of a hat, and Bill Russell. The hat brim meaning is the most obscure and the one most likely to be the last piece solvers find.

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