Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today's Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today's Connections: Sports Edition is a tough one. 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: Get out the umbrellas.

Green group hint: H-town or Space City.

Blue group hint: Going to the Golden State.

Purple group hint: Golden is another one.

Answers for today's Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Seen during a rain delay.

Green group: Houston teams.

Blue group: Warriors first-round picks.

Purple group: ____ rule.

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 seen during a rain delay.  The four answers are grounds crew, lightning, poncho and tarp.

The green words in today's Connections

The theme is Houston teams. The four answers are Astros, Dash, Dynamo and Rockets.

The blue words in today's Connections

The theme is Warriors first-round picks. The four answers are Curry, Looney, Moody and Wiseman.

The purple words in today's Connections

The theme is ____ rule.  The four answers are infield fly, run, tuck and unwritten.