| 100% | AGONY | 5 | "... the __ of defeat": "Wide World of Sports" phrase |
| 81% | AGONY | 5 | "The thrill of victory and the ___ of defeat" ("Wide World of Sports" intro) |
| 80% | AGONY | 5 | "The thrill of victory and the ___ of defeat" ("Wide World of Sports" opening words) |
| 67% | JIMTHORPE | 9 | The Greatest Athlete of the 20th Century, according to an ABC Wide World of Sports poll in 2001: 2 wds. |
| 61% | MCKAY | 5 | Longtime "ABC's Wide World of Sports" host |
| 55% | MCKAY | 5 | "Wide World of Sports" host Jim |
| 55% | ROONE | 5 | "Wide World of Sports" creator Arledge |
| 55% | MCKAY | 5 | Jim of "Wide World of Sports" |
| 54% | ESPYS | 5 | Oscars of the sporting world |
| 54% | CLEAT | 5 | Stud of the sports world? |
| 52% | LEIBNIZ | 7 | Philosopher who coined the phrase "the best of all possible worlds" |
| 52% | LEWIS | 5 | Defeater of Holyfield, 1999, for the world heavyweight title |
| 51% | INTERNET | 8 | What the World Wide Web is part of |
| 51% | BERNERS | 7 | Tim __-Lee; creator of the World Wide Web |
| 51% | POWERADE | 8 | Official sports drink of the FIFA World Cup |
| 51% | TEMPEST | 7 | Source of the phrase "brave new world," with "The" |
| 49% | HAND | 4 | "___ of God," Diego Maradona's phrase from the 1986 FIFA World Cup |
| 49% | HOPESPRINGSETERNAL | 18 | *Alexander Pope phrase appropriate to the start of a sports season |
| 48% | AGONY | 5 | ". . . the ___ of defeat" |
| 47% | WEMBLEY | 7 | Location of the London sports stadium that hosted the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final |
| 47% | IAAF | 4 | Until 2019, acronym used for the world governing body for the sport of athletics |
| 46% | TIMOTHY | 7 | Sir ___ John Berners-Lee, English engineer known as the inventor of the World Wide Web |
| 46% | THEBRICKYARD | 12 | Nickname of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the world's highest-capacity sports venue: 2 wds. |
| 46% | ALL | 3 | The whole wide world |
| 45% | BERNERSLEE | 10 | Tim, honored at the 2012 Olympic opening ceremonies as the "Inventor of the World Wide Web" |
| 45% | ERNIEELS | 8 | The Big Easy of sports |
| 45% | INTERNET | 8 | World wide network of computers |
| 45% | BAY | 3 | Wide inlet of the sea |
| 45% | GANGLAND | 8 | The world of organized crime |
| 45% | RAFAEL | 6 | ___ Nadal, tennis player who won the Laureus World Sports Award for Sportsman of the Year in 2011 |