‘Grids’ are Wordle for sports fans, and they’re incredible

Spend a few minutes on any one of the ever-increasing number of social media platforms and you’ll stumble across a grid — a simply nine-by-nine square full of athletes’ faces with prompts in the margins. They’re the sports game of the summer that’s sweeping the internet, and they are incredible.

It began with “Immaculate Grid,” the MLB approach to the game. Launching in April of 2023, Immaculate Grids were everywhere by June. Now they serve as the perfect daily dose of baseball knowledge for the biggest sports nerds in the world — and I mean that in the most loving way.

The platonic ideal of the grid game, Immaculate Grids has two critical elements that some of these games lack:

1. Limited guesses
2. A percentage indicator showing how rare your choices are

These two factors ensure there’s a game within a game. Avid grids players will compete on social media to see who can fill their grid with the rarest choices, and it’s a way to measure deep baseball knowledge that borders on the terrifying. Look no further than The Athletic’s Grant Brisbee, who might be the only human capable of doing stuff like this.

The only downside of Immaculate Grids is that they’re only for baseball. If you’re not a die-hard MLB fan you’re absolutely missing out on the best form of this game. Don’t worry though, because there are so many knockoffs for other sports too.

• Crossover Grid for the NFL
• HoopGrids for the NBA
• Puckdoku for the NHL

None of these are as good or polished as the original Immaculate Grids, but they scratch the same itch. I mean, where else could I somehow recall the one good season Greivis Vasquez had in the NBA with the Pelicans?

Wordle is fine, but if you’re a sports fan with a penchant for nerdy knowledge, then Grids are even better. Get hunting.