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 today’s 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: Put on your skates.

Green group hint: Get your racket.

Blue group hint: Dribble the ball.

Purple group hint: Kids love to do this.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Found at a hockey rink.

Green group: Last four men to win a tennis Grand Slam.

Blue group: Current women’s college basketball stars.

Purple group: ____ play.

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 found at a hockey rink. The four answers are bench, boards, glass and penalty box.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is the last four men to win a tennis Grand Slam. The four answers are Alcaraz, Djokovic, Nadal and Sinner.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is current women’s college basketball stars. The four answers are Betts, Booker, Crooks and Strong.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ____ play. The four answers are bang-bang, power, trick and triple.

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Toughest Connections: Sports Edition categories

The Connections: Sports Edition puzzle can be tough, but it really depends on which sports you know the most about. My husband aces anything having to do with Formula 1, my best friend is a hockey buff, and I can answer any question about Minnesota teams.

That said, it’s hard to pick the toughest Connections categories, but here are some I found exceptionally mind-blowing recently.

#1: Series A Clubs, Jan. 11. Answers: Atalanta, Juventus, Lazio, Roma.

#2: WNBA MVPs, Jan. 21. Answers: Catchings, Delle Donne, Fowles and Stewart.

#3: Premier League team nicknames, Jan. 17. Answers: Bees, Cherries, Foxes and Hammers.

#4: Homophones of NBA player names, Jan. 26. Answers: Barns, Connect, Heart and Hero.

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

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? It wasn’t too bad, though 7-Across threw me until I solved some of the Down clues. Read on for the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Painter’s protective garment
Answer: SMOCK

6A clue: «Toy Story 5» studio
Answer: PIXAR

7A clue: Your answer to «Where were you at 9 p.m. last night?,» perhaps
Answer: ALIBI

8A clue: Tennis star Rafael
Answer: NADAL

9A clue: Solemn sound from a church bell
Answer: KNELL

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Defeat soundly, in slang
Answer: SPANK

2D clue: Italian city with a fashion week
Answer: MILAN

3D clue: Iron ___ (rust)
Answer: OXIDE

4D clue: Small group of conspirators
Answer: CABAL

5D clue: Food for a baleen whale
Answer: KRILL

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During the holidays, you expect a surge of spam emails, especially if you’re shopping online. But it may be even worse than you suspected. 

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

On Wednesday, Proton, an encrypted email service, released its spam watch report, which audited marketing emails sent over 28 days, including the Black Friday weekend. The report showed that 80% of retailers are embedding hidden trackers into their marketing emails that tell them whether you open the email, the device you’re using to view it, and if you click on any of the links. If you open up one of these emails, you’re setting yourself up for more spam.

The report raises questions about consumer privacy and how retailers are using our data. 

Hunting for embedded tracking links

Proton created an inbox specifically to capture marketing emails between Nov 4 and Dec 1. Before the email is displayed, it goes through Proton Mail’s servers, which scan the message code against a database known for detecting domains and pixel signatures. Proton also used its own enhanced tracking protection feature to block retailers from collecting extra information. It examined 50 of the largest retailers that have both online and brick-and-mortar locations, analyzing the timestamp, sender, subject line, and whether such an email carried an embedded tracking link or pixel.

Proton researchers combined the data with loyalty-program membership counts, each retailer’s US market share, and the number of emails sent by similar retailers. Proton broke down these companies into four groups. The retailers they dubbed «worst of the worst» are those that email frequently and include the most tracking links. Some stores actually managed not to bombard their customers with emails containing trackers, and Proton labeled them the «most respectful» senders. 

Specific stores, and where they ranked

The worst of the worst list included CB2, Anthropologie, Victoria’s Secret, VS Pink, and Crate and Barrel.

«These brands represent the highest daily frequency across the full study window — the ones constantly vying for attention,» the study noted.

But Nike, Bass Pro Shops, H&M, New Balance and Burlington scored in the most respectful group, sending no emails with trackers during the time Proton monitored the email.

«The Spam Watch findings confirm a harsh reality: the inbox has become a high‑volume, high‑noise channel where brands battle for attention while silently gathering data on every open,» said Anant Vijay Singh, Head of Product at Proton Mail, in a statement. «This is not accidental–it is an engineered assault on your attention and your privacy.»

Do this to reduce spam emails

Maintaining your private data from third parties is a genuine concern for many people. This latest report further supports fears consumers have about how corporations are using their personal data. 

In some cases, to protect yourself, you can opt for data removal services such as Operty. 

You can reduce spam marketing emails by using email protection services similar to DuckDuckGo or — yes, the company that ran the study — Proton. 

iPhone users who pay for iCloud Plus have access to a Hide My Email feature, which can also help minimize spam.