Connections: Sports Edition hints for Jan. 25, 2026, puzzle No. 489 – The Athletic

Need help with today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle? You’ve come to the right place.

Welcome to Connections: Sports Edition Coach — a spot to gather clues and discuss (and share) scores.

A quick public service announcement before we continue: The bottom of this article includes one answer in each of the four categories. So if you want to solve the board hint-free, we recommend you play before continuing.

You can access Sunday’s game here.

Game No. 489’s difficulty: 3.5 out of 5

Hints

Scroll below for one answer in each of the four categories.

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Yellow: FLOP

Green: BOX

Blue: COFFEY

Purple: CHICAGO

The next puzzle will be available at midnight in your time zone. Thanks for playing — and share your scores in the comments!