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NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle #331 is for Wednesday, August 20, 2025. Its four groups are Ivy League team nicknames, places at a golf course, 49ers Hall of Famers, and things in Mariners logos. If you want to solve it yourself first, use the hints below before opening the full answer key.
Hints for Connections Sports Edition #331
Connections presents 16 words and asks players to group them into four sets of four that share a common thread. The NYT game instructions, quoted in Parade’s August 20 guide, describe the task as “group sports terms that share a common thread.”
- Yellow: Think of Ivy League team nicknames, including names tied to a color, a tree, and an animal.
- Green: Picture facilities or places you might encounter during a golf round.
- Blue: Consider San Francisco 49ers legends from different positions: a defensive back, a receiver, and two quarterbacks.
- Purple: Look for symbols and objects found in Seattle Mariners logos, including nautical imagery and a letter.
Connections #331 answers for August 20, 2025
Spoilers ahead. The category labels and word groups are:
| Category | Words | Why they fit |
|---|---|---|
| Ivy League team nicknames | BIG GREEN, BIG RED, CRIMSON, LIONS | Dartmouth is the Big Green, Cornell the Big Red, Harvard the Crimson, and Columbia the Lions. |
| Places at a golf course | CART PATH, CLUBHOUSE, PRO SHOP, RANGE | Each names a place or facility at a golf course. |
| 49ers Hall of Famers | LOTT, MONTANA, RICE, YOUNG | These are the surnames of Ronnie Lott, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, and Steve Young. |
| Things in Mariners logos | BASEBALL, COMPASS ROSE, S, TRIDENT | These are the logo elements identified by the puzzle’s category. |
How to spot the connections
Start with the most concrete setting
CART PATH, CLUBHOUSE, PRO SHOP, and RANGE all belong to a golf course, making the green group a useful place to begin. Read RANGE in this context as the practice area, rather than a general span or collection.
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Use team names to separate the Ivy League group
BIG GREEN, BIG RED, CRIMSON, and LIONS are school nicknames, not player names or colors to combine with another category. The school associations distinguish the four: Dartmouth, Cornell, Harvard, and Columbia, respectively.
Recognize the 49ers surnames
LOTT, MONTANA, RICE, and YOUNG are all surnames of San Francisco 49ers Hall of Famers. Their positions provide an additional clue: Lott was a defensive back, Montana and Young were quarterbacks, and Rice was a receiver.
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Read the Mariners group as logo components
BASEBALL, COMPASS ROSE, S, and TRIDENT form the remaining group because the category concerns elements in Mariners logos. The nautical imagery is the key to the compass rose and trident; S identifies the letter element.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.About the Sports Edition puzzle
Connections: Sports Edition is a sports-focused daily word-grouping game associated with The Athletic. The August 20 answer key and category labels are also reported by Mashable’s report syndicated by Yahoo Sports, which agrees with Parade on puzzle #331 and all four groups.
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