Today's NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for April 18, #207

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Connections: Sports Edition might be tough today. If you've never heard of a particular method for healing an injury, the green group could stump you. And there's one of those last-name groups that the New York Times loves to throw at players. Read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That's a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn't show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic's own app. Or you can continue to play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

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: Collectibles.

Green group hint: For an injury.

Blue group hint: Not olds.

Purple group hint: Rock and ____.

Yellow group: Sports memorabilia.

Green group: "Rice" method.

Blue group: Youngs.

Purple group: Things that roll.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

The theme is sports memorabilia. The four answers are autograph, jersey, poster and trading card.

The theme is "rice" method. The four answers are compression, elevation, ice and rest.

The theme is Youngs. The four answers are Chase, Cy, Steve and Trae.

The theme is things that roll. The four answers are bowling ball, dice, gymnast and screener.