Today’s Connections: Sports Edition leans into winter on the blue row and keeps the rest squarely in the playbook. If you want a nudge before the reveal, start with the color-coded hints below. The full solutions sit right after.

Play Connections: Sports Edition

You can play the puzzle on The Athletic’s site at nytimes.com/athletic/connections-sports-edition. It’s available in The Athletic app and is also playable on the web.

Today's color hints (Oct. 10, No. 382)

  • Yellow: Fire it in there.
  • Green: Toss it downfield.
  • Blue: Speed down the hill.
  • Purple: Waltz across the floor.

Answers for Oct. 10 (No. 382)

Group color Theme Words
Yellow Fastball cheese, four-seamer, gas, heat
Green Football passing routes drag, post, slant, wheel
Blue Alpine skiing disciplines combined, downhill, slalom, Super-G
Purple Athletes who won “Dancing With the Stars” Driver, Ohno, Shumpert, Yamaguchi

Why these sets work

Fastball. “Cheese,” “gas,” and “heat” are all slang for a high-velocity heater, and “four-seamer” is the classic straight fastball grip.

Football routes. “Drag,” “post,” “slant,” and “wheel” are common route concepts—short crosser, deep angle to the goalpost, quick in-breaking cut, and a turn up the sideline from the backfield, respectively.

Alpine disciplines. “Downhill,” “Super-G,” “slalom,” and “combined” cover the sport’s speed and technical events, plus the multi-run aggregate format.

DWTS athlete winners. “Driver” (Donald), “Ohno” (Apolo Anton), “Shumpert” (Iman), and “Yamaguchi” (Kristi) are all athletes who have won the competition.

That’s today’s grid. New puzzles arrive daily, so if you like the sports twist, check back tomorrow for a fresh set of themes.