The Saturday edition of NYT Connections Sports Edition arrives with puzzle #593, and this one tests your knowledge of college mascots, stadium rock anthems, and current MLB rosters. Expect a few curveballs from the Padres.
What Makes Connections Sports Edition Tick
For newcomers, NYT Connections Sports Edition presents 16 sports-themed words that must be sorted into four thematic groups of four. The twist?
You're limited to four mistakes, and the color-coded difficulty system (yellow being easiest, purple being trickiest) means surface-level connections often mislead.
Connections Sports Edition brings the same addictive puzzle format to the world of athletics, featuring athletes, teams, sports terminology, and legendary moments. The game's genius lies in its red herrings, words that could fit multiple sports categories but belong in only one.
Today's Grid at a Glance
Here are the 16 words staring back at you in puzzle #593:
QUEEN | SHEETS | BUFFALO | KING
TENDERFOOT | DARUDE | COUGAR | AC/DC
BEARCAT | BOGAERTS | ROOK | TATIS
PROSPECT | SURVIVOR | KNIGHT | FROSH
A seemingly random collection that somehow connects into four perfect categories.
Strategic Hints (No Spoilers Yet)
Yellow Category Nudge: Think about what coaches and scouts call athletes who haven't proven themselves yet.
Green Category Clue: These are the names on the back of jerseys at schools that compete in one of the most competitive conferences in college sports.
Blue Category Hint: These bands and artists have sent crowds into a frenzy between innings and at the final buzzer.
Purple Category Teaser: These names appear on the same MLB roster right now, a very specific West Coast lineup.
The Full Solutions
Last chance to solve independently: answers below
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Yellow (Terms Used for a Young Athlete): FROSH, PROSPECT, ROOK, TENDERFOOT
From "frosh" (first-year college athlete) to "prospect" (unproven talent being scouted) to "rook" (short for rookie) and "tenderfoot" (inexperienced newcomer), these are all labels for athletes at the start of their journey. Coaches and scouts throw these terms around constantly.
Green (A Big 12 Athlete): BEARCAT, BUFFALO, COUGAR, KNIGHT
These are the mascots of four Big 12 Conference schools: the Cincinnati Bearcats, Colorado Buffaloes, Houston Cougars, and UCF Knights. The conference realignment has made this grouping especially current heading into the 2026 season.
Blue (Artists of Iconic Stadium Anthems): AC/DC, DARUDE, QUEEN, SURVIVOR
AC/DC ("Thunderstruck"), Darude ("Sandstorm"), Queen ("We Will Rock You"), and Survivor ("Eye of the Tiger"), these tracks are essentially the official soundtrack of sports stadiums worldwide. You've heard every single one at a game, guaranteed.
Purple (Members of the San Diego Padres): BOGAERTS, KING, SHEETS, TATIS
Xander Bogaerts, Michael King, Gavin Sheets, and Fernando Tatis Jr., four current names on the San Diego Padres roster. This is the trap category: "King," "Sheets," and "Tatis" all look like common nouns or surnames, but here they're specific MLB players wearing brown and gold.
The Verdict
Puzzle #593 registers as moderate difficulty with a sting in the tail. Yellow falls quickly for anyone who's been around sports, "rook" and "frosh" are dead giveaways.
Green requires knowing which schools are in the Big 12, a conference that has reshuffled significantly in recent years. Blue is a gimme for anyone who's been to a live game, these anthems are unavoidable.
The real trap? "King," "Sheets," and "Tatis" look like they could belong in the young athlete category or even the stadium anthems group. But they're all Padres. If you don't follow MLB, purple is eating your mistake count.
Reset and Repeat
Tomorrow's puzzle drops at midnight in your timezone. Until then, reflect on today's performance: Did you nail the Big 12 mascots or get buried by San Diego's roster?
The beauty lies not in perfection but in training your brain to spot these hidden sports connections.
For now, puzzle #593 is solved. See you at midnight for round #594.
