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NYT Connections Sports Edition · #647

NYT Connections Sports Edition Hints & Answers (#647) — July 2, 2026

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“Sort by sport first. If a word fits more than one sport, hold it and build the groups you are most sure about around it.”

NYT Sports Connections hints for July 2, 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 BALL MARKERA small coin-sized disc placed on the green to mark your ball while others play.
2 BLUE JACKETSColumbus's NHL franchise, named after the Union soldiers from Ohio in the Civil War.
3 BUCKEYESOhio State's collegiate athletic teams, whose home stadium sits in Columbus.
4 CLIPPERSThe Columbus Clippers, the Triple-A minor league baseball affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians — not the LA NBA team.
5 CREWThe Columbus Crew, one of MLS's founding clubs, not a NASCAR pit crew.
6 CREW CHIEFThe strategist who calls pit stop timing and setup changes from the pit box.
7 DRIVERLooks like the golf club off the tee — here it's the person behind the wheel on race day.
8 FLAGSTICKThe tall pin marking the hole's location from a distance.
9 HODGESGil Hodges led the 1969 Miracle Mets to a stunning World Series championship.
10 HOLEThe four-and-a-quarter-inch cup cut into the green — the whole point of the exercise.
11 MANUELJerry Manuel took over mid-2008 and managed the Mets through 2010 — not the Spanish given name.
12 PIT CREWThe over-the-wall athletes who change four tires and fuel the car in roughly the time it takes to sneeze twice.
13 PUTTERThe flat-faced club used only once you reach the green.
14 SHOWALTERBuck Showalter managed the Mets in 2022 and 2023, winning NL Manager of the Year in his first season.
15 SPOTTERThe team member perched high in the stands, feeding the driver a live view of the whole track.
16 VALENTINEBobby Valentine managed the Mets to the 2000 World Series, where they lost to the Yankees.
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 Everything here lives between the fringe and the cup.
See Group FOUND ON THE GREEN
See WordPUTTER
See WordHOLE
See WordFLAGSTICK
See WordBALL MARKER
See Hint A race weekend takes a whole village to pull off.
See Group PARTS OF A NASCAR TEAM
See WordDRIVER
See WordSPOTTER
See WordCREW CHIEF
See WordPIT CREW
See Hint Each one has managed summers at Citi Field or Shea.
See Group METS MANAGERS
See WordSHOWALTER
See WordVALENTINE
See WordMANUEL
See WordHODGES
See Hint Pack your bags for central Ohio to catch all four.
See Group TEAMS IN COLUMBUS
See WordCREW
See WordBLUE JACKETS
See WordBUCKEYES
See WordCLIPPERS
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 CREW Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably reading it as a pit crew or a general work team — but here it's a proper noun, a professional soccer club.
2 DRIVER Tap to see why this word traps.
You're almost certainly thinking of the big golf club off the tee — but the puzzle is using it as a job title in a completely different sport.
3 CLIPPERS Tap to see why this word traps.
You're probably thinking of the NBA team in Los Angeles or a pair of hair clippers — but this is a minor league baseball club in a different city entirely.

NYT Sports Connections answers for July 2, 2026

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

Y FOUND ON THE GREEN · Yellow · easiest
  • PUTTER
  • HOLE
  • FLAGSTICK
  • BALL MARKER

PUTTER, HOLE, FLAGSTICK and BALL MARKER are all items found specifically on a golf green. The BALL MARKER is the sneakiest — it's a tiny disc most casual fans forget exists, used to mark your ball's position while others putt.

G PARTS OF A NASCAR TEAM · Green · easy
  • DRIVER
  • SPOTTER
  • CREW CHIEF
  • PIT CREW

DRIVER, SPOTTER, CREW CHIEF and PIT CREW are the core roles that make up a NASCAR team. The SPOTTER is the least known — they sit high above the track and radio the driver about crashes, traffic and track conditions in real time.

B METS MANAGERS · Blue · medium
  • SHOWALTER
  • VALENTINE
  • MANUEL
  • HODGES

SHOWALTER, VALENTINE, MANUEL and HODGES are all former New York Mets managers. Gil HODGES is the most historically significant — he managed the 1969 'Miracle Mets' to their first World Series title.

P TEAMS IN COLUMBUS · Purple · hardest
  • CREW
  • BLUE JACKETS
  • BUCKEYES
  • CLIPPERS

CREW, BLUE JACKETS, BUCKEYES and CLIPPERS are all sports teams based in Columbus, Ohio. The BLUE JACKETS are the only NHL franchise in the group — Columbus's entry into the league came in 2000.

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