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Today's Connections: Sports Edition is a tough one, but fun for movie fans. If you're struggling with the 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: If the shoe fits.

Green group hint: Fore!

Blue group hint: Take me out to the ball game.

Purple group hint: Cinema titles.

Answers for today's Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Sneaker brands.

Green group: Golf courses to host the U.S. Open.

Blue group: Famous nicknames for MLB teams.

Purple group: Movies that contain an NFL team name.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today's Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today's Connections

The theme is sneaker brands. The four answers are Converse, New Balance, Saucony and Under Armour.

The green words in today's Connections

The theme is golf courses to host the U.S. Open. The four answers are Pebble Beach, Shinnecock Hills, Torrey Pines and Winged Foot.

The blue words in today's Connections

The theme is famous nicknames for MLB teams. The four answers are Amazin' Mets, Big Red Machine, Gas House Gang and Murderers' Row. 

The purple words in today's Connections

The theme is movies that contain an NFL team name. The four answers are Little Giants, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Remember the Titans and The Bad News Bears.

Quick tips for Connections: Sports Edition

#1: Don't grab for the easiest group. For each word, think about other sports categories it might fit in – is this a word that can be used in football, or to describe scoring options?

#2: Second meanings are important. The puzzle loves to use last names and even college names that mean other things, to fool you into thinking they are words, not names.

#3: And the opposite is also true. Words like HURTS might seem like a regular word, but it's also the last name of at least one pro athlete.