Crossword Genius

Sports grand titles, after declining first one (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

games

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'sports' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'grand titles after declining first one' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'grand' could be 'm' (synonyms) and 'm' is found in the answer.
'first' could be 'a' (first letter of the alphabet) and 'a' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'ges' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for games that I've seen before include "Favourite lessons" , "School sports" , "Sports and pastimes" , "Events collectively" , "Contests or amusements" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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