Today's Sports Connections answers

• HOLDING
• DELAY OF GAME
• OFFSIDE
• CLIPPING

Why: Every entry — HOLDING, DELAY OF GAME, OFFSIDE and CLIPPING — is a called infraction in the sport named in the title. If you do not watch the sport, these read as ordinary words, so the group is knowledge-gated rather than a puzzle of language.

• TIME OF POSSESSION
• TURNOVER MARGIN
• FIRST DOWNS
• YARDS PER PLAY

Why: All four — TIME OF POSSESSION, TURNOVER MARGIN, FIRST DOWNS and YARDS PER PLAY — share one link: football team stats. The group is knowledge-gated: you either recognise the theme on sight or you don't, so use the hints above rather than trying to reason it out from the words alone.

• ARM
• GRECO-ROMAN
• SUMO
• FOLKSTYLE

Why: All four — ARM, GRECO-ROMAN, SUMO and FOLKSTYLE — share one link: types of wrestling. The group is knowledge-gated: you either recognise the theme on sight or you don't, so use the hints above rather than trying to reason it out from the words alone.

• BATON
• EXCHANGE ZONE
• CHANGEOVER
• ANCHOR

Why: All four — BATON, EXCHANGE ZONE, CHANGEOVER and ANCHOR — share one link: relay race terms. The group is knowledge-gated: you either recognise the theme on sight or you don't, so use the hints above rather than trying to reason it out from the words alone.

• ICE CREAM
• CHURRO
• LEMONADE
• COTTON CANDY

Why: All four — ICE CREAM, CHURRO, LEMONADE and COTTON CANDY — share one link: concession stand treats. The group is knowledge-gated: you either recognise the theme on sight or you don't, so use the hints above rather than trying to reason it out from the words alone.

• FAKE SPIKE
• FUMBLEROOSKI
• FLEA FLICKER
• HOOK AND LATERAL

Why: All four — FAKE SPIKE, FUMBLEROOSKI, FLEA FLICKER and HOOK AND LATERAL — share one link: football tricks. The group is knowledge-gated: you either recognise the theme on sight or you don't, so use the hints above rather than trying to reason it out from the words alone.

• REESE
• DOWNS
• BAILEY
• STYLES

Why: All four — REESE, DOWNS, BAILEY and STYLES — share one link: nfl rookie defenders. The group is knowledge-gated: you either recognise the theme on sight or you don't, so use the hints above rather than trying to reason it out from the words alone.

• JACK-O'-LANTERN
• HOMER SIMPSON
• BLASTOISE
• TATER TOTS

Why: This is the wordplay group: JACK-O'-LANTERN, HOMER SIMPSON, BLASTOISE and TATER TOTS are joined by the pattern in the title ("starts with a term for home run"), not by any shared sport. It is the classic trap tier — several of these words look like they belong with a sports category above, which is exactly what the puzzle wants you to try first.

• UGA
• LSU
• OU
• UK

Why: All four — UGA, LSU, OU and UK — share one link: sec schools, abbreviated. The group is knowledge-gated: you either recognise the theme on sight or you don't, so use the hints above rather than trying to reason it out from the words alone.

• TD
• QBR
• YDS
• INT

Why: All four — TD, QBR, YDS and INT — share one link: qb stats, abbreviated. The group is knowledge-gated: you either recognise the theme on sight or you don't, so use the hints above rather than trying to reason it out from the words alone.

• PG-13
• SGA
• AD
• KD

Why: These four are all sporting nicknames rather than given names, so the group hinges on recognising the player behind each tag: PG-13, SGA, AD and KD.

• G
• C
• RW
• LW

Why: All four — G, C, RW and LW — share one link: hockey positions, abbreviated. The group is knowledge-gated: you either recognise the theme on sight or you don't, so use the hints above rather than trying to reason it out from the words alone.