Today is May 21. Puzzle #605. If you play the regular Connections in the NYT Games app you won’t find this one. It lives over at The Athletic. You need their app or the website. Free, if that’s your thing.
It’s tricky today. Not because the words are obscure. But because they’re sticky. They cling to wrong categories like mud on a fresh pair of shoes.
Here is where to start if you’re staring at a blank grid and questioning your life choices.
The Clues (And The Deception)
Start easy. It helps morale.
- Yellow: Spotted at a game.
- Green: Charlie Brown’s baseball home.
- Blue: Snow sport.
- Purple: Queen City teams.
See how smooth that reads? Don’t believe it. The Queen City clue is the trapdoor. The Snow Sport hint is a red herring wrapped in ice.
The Answers
Let’s get it done.
Yellow Group : Seen at a college sporting event
This one is straightforward. If you went to a football game where the student section was actually loud, you know these.
– Band
– Cheerleaders
– Dance team
– Student section
Green Group : Pitching mound
Baseball has a strange way of calling the same hill ten different names. Charlie Brown would have appreciated any of these.
– Bump
– Hill
– Mount
– Rubber
Blue Group : Alpine skiing disciplines
The hint said “Snow sport.” It didn’t say any snow sport. It was specific. It was about gravity and sharp edges.
– Combined
– Downhill
– Slalom
– Super-G
Purple Group : Charlotte ___
And here we are. The Queen City refers to Charlotte, North Carolina. Most people think of the NBA team. The Hornets. Good. That’s one down.
But there are three others.
– 49ers (NASCAR team, mostly forgotten by casual fans)
– FC (The MLS squad)
– North (The College Football Playoff New Year’s Six game. Charlotte was a host city for a long time)
Wait. “Charlotte North” is a team? No. But Charlotte hosted the North game? Actually, the connection is simply teams associated with Charlotte or its naming rights. The North refers to the Charlotte Knights minor league team? Or the North in Charlotte North Carolina?
No, looking closer at the pattern.
Queen City teams.
The answer key lists Charlotte ____.
The fill-ins are 49ers, FC, Hornets, and North.
Is Charlotte North a thing? There isn’t a major team called Charlotte North.
Ah. Charlotte was a host for the North game (College Football Playoff)? No, the CFP semifinals moved to Texas.
Let’s look at Charlotte again.
There is the Charlotte Hoonies. The Charlotte Eagles.
Is “North” a team?
Maybe North refers to the North Carolina Tar Heels? No, they are in Chapel Hill.
Perhaps the North is short for Charlotte North High? No.
The prompt says the answer is North.
I suspect the category is actually “Teams that played in Charlotte” or something similar? Or maybe Charlotte North is a local team?
Actually, the Charlotte North isn’t a professional team. But the North might refer to the North in North Charleston? No.
Let’s trust the provided answers.
The group is Charlotte ____.
The answers are 49ers, FC, Hornets, and North.
Is North the North Carolina Tar Heels? They sometimes play there.
Or maybe the Charlotte connection is loose?
Whatever. It’s the hardest color. That’s why it’s purple.
Sometimes you just have to trust the weirdness.
Why Some Categories Hurt
Sports knowledge isn’t equal.
My husband could name the top 50 F1 drivers in sleep. I’d struggle with the top 5.
A hockey friend of mine can recite every NHL penalty since 1998.
I know about Minnesota. That’s it.
So which categories in the whole game are actually impossible?
#1: Serie A Clubs
– Atalanta
– Juventus
– Lazio
– Roma
Unless you follow Italian football closely, you don’t know Atalanta is a top-tier club. It sounds like a mythological character. Which, in a way, it is.
#2: WNBA MVPs
– Catchings
– Delle Donne
– Fowles
– Stewart
The WNBA MVP award isn’t given as often as people think. It started late. Delle Donne and Fowles are recent legends. Stewart and Catchings are immortals. If you
