LAS VEGAS — WWE commentator Joe Tessitore was right. It was a softball question.

After John Cena defeated Cody Rhodes in the main event of WrestleMania 41 to capture his record 17th WWE Championship, he didn’t give an answer to any questions about the victory. Questions about The Rock or whether he’ll smile were met with ‘that seems like clickbait.’

So in the final question, a USA TODAY Sports reporter asked Cena about what was going through his head as he made WWE history, if he felt reminiscent of everything he’s accomplished over his storied career and what it’s like separating himself as the most decorated WWE star.

Simple enough right? Think again.

‘You know, that seems like a clickbait question,’ Cena told USA TODAY Sports. ‘I’m beginning to sense a pattern here that you guys are just looking for headlines.

‘Keep in mind you are now talking to the last real champion. Step your game up next time,’ he added.

Well then.

It’s a response good enough to hurt the ego, but it’s a reminder that in his final act, Cena is still at the top of his game.  

If we’re discussing the WWE title match itself, it didn’t really live up to the expectations. While there was plenty of electricity inside Allegiant Stadium as Cena and Rhodes delivered signature moves, there were some slow spots.

It wasn’t a finish people anticipated. Travis Scott came out when people expected The Rock, and even though the rapper was part of the beatdown of Rhodes at Elimination Chamber, it just felt odd to have him involved in such a big spot.

The match ending with Cena knocking Rhodes with the title felt anti-climatic, almost as if the audience was robbed of that signature moment the bout called for. Whether you were happy or mad at the result, the match felt like it failed to live up to all the hype. Tessitore and fellow commentator Big E admitted the match wasn’t one of Cena’s greatest nor would it be seen as a five-star match in the future.

But in between all of that, the brilliance of Cena’s heel era was on full display. 

WrestleMania is all about elaborate entrances, and no one knows that better than Cena. From mobsters at WrestleMania 22, driving the car through glass at WrestleMania 23 or the several clones at WrestleMania 25, Cena knows how to make a spectacular entrance on the grandest stage of them all.

His final WrestleMania gave him the chance to have one more iconic entrance. But as he feuds with the fans he says have asked so much from him, he made sure to deny them of that moment. His entrance was just a black screen that read his name.

It was the perfect touch for this current iteration of Cena. He’s in such a peculiar spot because since he was so popular and loved for the majority of his career, people will still cheer him on for anything he does. That’s a tough assignment for any star to balance, because Cena could easily crack. He almost did when the fans thanked him as he made his way out of the stadium.

But instead of letting this character fall apart, Cena has used the constant support to his advantage, swaying the audience in whichever way he desires.

‘I love where John’s head is at,’ said WWE chief content officer Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque. ‘The funny thing is that people were flipping the coin for him before. Now he’s flipping the coin, right? They booed John. They were relentless on him. They pushed him to be great in some ways, but it was not easy for him sometimes.

‘Now he gets to be the puppet master, and he gets to flip that coin for them and be the polar opposite of everything that he was before.’

When Cena announced his retirement tour last year, no one saw this coming. When he made his first appearance at the Netflix debut of Monday Night Raw, people still didn’t see as he didn’t think a championship would be obtainable. But he did make a promise.

‘I will give you everything I got. You got my word, I always have. I’ve always given you everything I have,’ Cena said on Jan. 6. 

It’s not exactly how people envisioned it, but Cena is in fact giving everything he has into the final run. It’s been captivating, and every move he makes has become a must-watch moment, somehow upping the importance of what was already going to be stellar last year.

Levesque also believes Cena is having a great time with this new persona.

‘I believe he smiled all the time before, and on the inside he was grumpy, and now the grumpy is on the outside, and on the inside, he’s smiling at it all,” he said.

What’s next for the John Cena farewell tour?

Other than belittle reporters, Cena did say on the Raw after WrestleMania he will show how he plans to ruin wrestling. There’s no telling what those plans entail, but it certainly will be something that has the attention of every WWE fan.

And even better, there isn’t just Raw for him to do. As champion, Cena will be making plenty of appearances in the final seven months of his career, and the race begins to dethrone Cena from the title before he walks away as the ‘last true champion.’

The end of WrestleMania signifies the end of WWE’s year, and the ‘new season’ begins after the flagship event. It’s anyone’s guess what happens from now until the end of the next season and the clock on Cena’s career is up. But it certainly will be something that has the attention of every WWE fan. 

Levesque said there will be ‘a lot of holy (expletive)’ moments coming, and it’s a safe bet a good many of those will come from Cena. He’s already orchestrated a masterpiece, and there’s no doubt the momentum is ending soon.

‘As somebody else says all the time, ‘just hang in for the ride.’ He’s driving now, and he’s having a blast doing it,’ Levesque said. 

So yes, Cena may not have hit the slow pitch, softball question. But he showed he still has his fastball, and he’s proved it’s a farewell tour that will be remembered for all of wrestling.

(This story was updated to add a video.)

Defending Boston Marathon men’s champion Sisay Lemma of Ethiopia will not repeat in 2025.

Lemma, 34, surged to an early lead and held off the rest of the field to win last year’s race, but he experienced issues with his leg around the 17-mile point as he fell off the pace on Monday.

Television coverage showed Lemma stepping off the road and attempting to stretch out his leg. He did not appear to rejoin the pack.

The Boston Marathon continues on the 26.2-mile course from Hopkinton to downtown Boston and the iconic finish line on Boylston Street.

NEW YORK — When it came time to explain how the Knicks contained Cade Cunningham — what their game plan was — Josh Hart was concise.

“Yeah, OG Anunoby,” the Knicks guard said Saturday night after New York blew past Detroit in Game 1 of their first-round series. “OG Anunoby, man.”

It was, of course, more nuanced than that. But in New York’s 123-112 victory, which was fueled by a 21-0 Knicks run in the fourth quarter, Anunoby did indeed take the lead on Cunningham, Detroit’s first-time NBA All-Star who is the Pistons’ motor.

The Knicks held Cunningham to 21 points on 8-of-21 (38.1%) shooting. He did dish out a game-high 12 assists, though the flip-side to those assists was Cunningham’s six turnovers, half of which came in the fourth quarter, and many of which were prompted by Anunoby.

From the tip, New York matched up Anunoby, a 6-foot-7 wing stopper in his second season in New York, on Cunningham. Known as a premier defender, Anunoby leaned on his length and physicality to front Cunningham every time he touched the ball.

“Just trying to make it as difficult as possible,” Anunoby told reporters after the game. “Make his catches difficult, pressure him, be aggressive and just try to force him into tough shots.”

Then, when Detroit tried to shake Anunoby off of Cunningham with screens along the perimeter to get more favorable matchups, the Knicks directed the other defender to linger at the mesh point, turning their coverage into a soft double-team. The tactic essentially forced the ball out of Cunningham’s hands.

Cunningham, throughout the first half, was more than happy to comply. And the move, at least initially, appeared to backfire on New York. As the Knicks dared other Pistons players to be the ones to beat them, Detroit’s veteran role players showed up.

Forward Tobias Harris poured in 22 points in the first half, going 7-of-10 before intermission. That marked the most points he had scored in any half this season. Backup guard Malik Beasley chipped in another 12 headed into the locker room.

The Knicks, however, threw in another wrinkle when play resumed. New York deployed forward Mikal Bridges, another plus-defender with length, to match up with Harris. Bridges pressured Harris at the perimeter every time he touched the ball; in the second half, Harris would score just three points.

But as New York faced a deficit entering the fourth, it tightened up its defense, sparking a massive 21-0 run. The Knicks limited Detroit to just 21 points in the final period, and it was Anunoby who smothered Cunningham throughout the quarter.

“He’s a hell of a player,” Hart said of Anunoby. “Defensively we have faith in him to guard anybody. So obviously we’re all locked in and dialed in on (Cunningham). He’s a good player, but OG loves those kinds of matchups, especially in the playoffs when you can be physical. (Anunoby) is a physical guy, able to get through screens and those kinds of things. We need his offense, obviously, but more importantly his defense.”

So, can the Knicks replicate this formula in Game 2 of the series and beyond?

Presumably, until Detroit shows it can sustain its offense with Cunningham as a secondary scorer, New York won’t alter its plan too much.

Cunningham, for his part, called Game 1 fun and said he was looking forward to Game 2 Monday night. In his mind, it’s all about finishing.

“They sent bodies at me more than anything,” Cunningham told reporters after the game. “They made sure that every time I came off, they were checking me, they were sending bodies at me all the time, trying to get the ball out of my hands. They were on the same accord. I just wasn’t able to pick them apart enough. But for three-and-a-half quarters of the game, we were comfortable. We were getting the shots we wanted.

“We’ve just got to close out the game.”

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Formula One returns to South Florida for the fourth annual Miami Grand Prix May 2-4, and race organizers are providing a new way for aspiring F1 fans to experience the event.

F1 Miami is offering one-day tickets for the first time – allowing ticket buyers to attend the race either Friday, Saturday or Sunday at the Miami International Autodrome surrounding Hard Rock Stadium.

Fans can attend Friday for $65, $75, $100 or $125 – depending on the grandstand they select – to watch the first practice session and qualifying for Saturday’s Sprint race.

Those prices increase to $200-$315 for the F1 Sprint race Saturday, and $505 to $910 for Sunday’s main event. Miami is also offering a Sunday campus pass for $350 for the first time, while a campus pass for the entire weekend is $430. A campus pass gets you into the race to walk around and enjoy the event, but it does not provide a seat or access to grandstands.

The one-day ticket offering is a result of feedback Miami race organizers received from fans who attended the last three races, where buying three-day ticket packages was the only option. It allows fans to adjust financially or just from a scheduling perspective.

“It really stems for us on our responsibility to continue to be a key pillar of growing the sport,” F1 Miami race president Tyler Epp told USA TODAY Sports. “There are certainly fans within the United States who’ve been following Formula One for decades. But there’s also a new crop of fans that have come on board here in the last couple of years. I think our role as a promoter is to make sure that we create an accessible environment.”

Miami has already seen immediate results from one-day ticket sales: 81% of single-day grandstand buyers will be first-time attendees, including 39% coming from out of state.

F1 Miami one-day tickets will remain on sale until they are sold out, and Epp expects the Miami race to have another sellout weekend. The race had weekend attendances of 242,955 in 2022; 270,000 in 2023; and 275,000 last year.

The Porsche Carrera Cup series and F1 Academy will also hold practice sessions Friday, with races on Saturday and Sunday, adding to the weekend experience.

“We really try to make sure that heading into Year 4, we’ve been very customer centric – like really, actually listening to the people who are supporting us, the fans who’ve been here since the first year, but also the fans who are considering coming for the first time,” Epp said.

“Our opportunity is to create a fan for life and get them to come back for our Formula One weekend, but get to know us in a more unique way … for them to fall in love with the experience.”

In February, F1 named South Florida Motorsports – led by Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross and CEO Tom Garfinkel – Promoter of the Year.

The Miami Grand Prix was uniquely recognized by F1 for delivering “the best all-round event in 2024” that “embodied the F1 mission statement to deliver the world’s greatest sports and entertainment spectacle.”

Musical artists Pitbull, Kygo, DJ Tiësto, Kaskade, Sofi Tukker, Cedric Gervais, Maffio and Justin Quiles will perform during this F1 Miami weekend, while the National Anthem before the race will be sung by King Bell, a 14-year-old artist from Fort Lauderdale.

McLaren’s Lando Norris won his first F1 race at Miami last year, creating some parity in the sport last season despite Red Bull’s Max Verstappen (who won the first two Miami races) winning the F1 driver’s championship for the fourth consecutive year.

Verstappen and Norris have already won F1 races this season, while McLaren’s Oscar Piastri is in the lead for the driver’s championship after winning three of the five races already this season.

Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton’s move from Mercedes to Ferrari also adds to the intrigue during the 2025 season.

Single-day tickets have also been available at other F1 races around the world in Australia, China and Saudi Arabia earlier this year.

They will be offered at Emilia-Romagna (May 16-18), Monaco (May 23-25), Canada (June 13-15), Netherlands (Aug. 29-31), Monza (Sept. 5-7), Azerbaijan (Sept. 19-21), and the two remaining U.S. races in Austin (Oct. 17-19) and Las Vegas (Nov. 20-22).

Las Vegas race organizers already sold out of their first release of one-day tickets, which began at $50, but more one-day tickets will be available later this summer.

They hope to cater to locals working on the Las Vegas Strip who may not be able to attend all three race days, as well as fans from nearby states California, Arizona and Utah wanting to make a day trip to experience the action.

“People know the excitement around the race, and people want to see that,’ F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix vice president of premium sales and service Alli England told USA TODAY Sports. ‘And that’s when we see the demand for those single days.’

We’re less than a week out from the 2025 NFL Draft. On April 24, the Tennessee Titans are poised to make their first No. 1 pick in decades to kick off the three-day event in Green Bay, Wis.

Holding the No. 1 overall pick gives a team all of the power in the most critical round of the draft. Round 1 features the majority of the future stars and All-Pros at their positions. There are some exceptions, but more often than not it’s the players selected in the first 32 picks who make the difference in the long term.

That can go in the right direction for some teams. Cincinnati’s hardly complaining with 2020 No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow at quarterback. That position has been the standard for No. 1 overall picks in recent years. Eight of the last 10 top overall picks have been quarterbacks.

However, not all No. 1 picks are created equal. Some may have not panned out for reasons or paled in comparison to other players taken in the first round. Some just never quite lived up to the hype.

That’s who we’re discussing today. Here are the 10 worst No. 1 overall picks in the NFL draft since 2000:

Worst No. 1 overall picks in NFL draft since 2000

10. DE Travon Walker (2022)

Walker’s been an impactful player for the Jaguars over the last two seasons with 20.5 total sacks in that time span. He’s developing into a difference-maker off the edge for Jacksonville opposite Josh Hines-Allen.

The problem for Jacksonville is the No. 2 overall pick in the class, Aidan Hutchinson, has been far more productive and impactful so far at the same position. Hutchinson missed 12 games in 2024 but still has more career sacks (28.5) than Walker (24). This could end up looking foolish in a few years as Walker potentially continues his ascent but for now is one of the 10 worst picks.

9. QB Bryce Young (2023)

Young is lower on this list because of how early it is and his turnaround in the second half of 2024. If he can keep that up, things will look up for the former Heisman Trophy winner. Things were rough to start as he went 2-16 as a starter over his first 18 games. After being benched, Young came back in and went 4-6 as a starter to close the season. That’s still not ideal but an improvement from what was seen up until that point.

What hurts Young is how good the other top quarterback in the class, C.J. Stroud, has looked already. He’s led Houston to consecutive division titles and earned Offensive Rookie of the Year. The two will be linked forever after going 1-2 in the 2023 draft.

8. QB Baker Mayfield (2018)

Mayfield’s done a lot to recover his standing in the league since signing with the Buccaneers in 2023. He’s been a reliable starter and made his second consecutive Pro Bowl in 2024. He was a highly touted prospect coming into the draft after winning the Heisman Trophy in 2017 and had some good returns early. He set the record for touchdowns by a rookie quarterback in 2018. Two years later, he quarterbacked the Browns to their first playoff win since 1994.

But what hurts him in this exercise is the talent that went after him in the 2018 NFL Draft. Two other quarterbacks in the first round – Josh Allen (No. 7) and Lamar Jackson (No. 32) – have combined for three MVPs and are considered in the top five of the position league-wide. It’s hard to get past that in retrospect.

7. DE Jadeveon Clowney (2014)

Clowney has had a solid career and is still a productive player off the edge more than a decade after being the No. 1 overall pick to Houston. The college phenom was expected to be a force given his elite mix of size and athleticism. NFL Network analyst Bucky Brooks called Clowney a ‘meaner, nastier version of Julius Peppers.’

That’s high praise, and Clowney has had a solid career. He’s made three Pro Bowls and was a second-team All-Pro in 2016. He dealt with injuries early on in his career and has still never tallied double-digit sacks in a season. He’s at 58 for his career entering 2025.

Despite that solid track record, Clowney’s on this list because of the other talent in the 2014 NFL draft. Future Hall of Famers Aaron Donald (No. 13) and Zack Martin (No. 16) went in the first round. No. 5 overall pick Khalil Mack has nearly double Clowney’s sack total and a Defensive Player of the Year award.

6. OT Eric Fisher (2013)

The 2013 NFL Draft didn’t have many standout talents in the first round. The best player in the class was third-round pick Travis Kelce, making this class look a little rosier for Chiefs fans in hindsight.

Analysts pointed to the decision at No. 1 being between Fisher and fellow tackle Luke Joeckel. Fisher ended up being the right choice as he played longer and started 132 games for the Chiefs and Colts. He was reliable and made two Pro Bowls, in 2018 and 2020.

What makes this pick look worse in hindsight is future Hall of Fame tackle Lane Johnson who went No. 4 overall to the Philadelphia Eagles.

5. QB Jameis Winston (2015)

Winston racked up accolades at Florida State, including the Heisman Trophy in 2013. He was considered a Pro Bowl talent right away with his mix of elite traits at prototypical size for the position.

Winston went 28-42 as a starter with the Buccaneers as a productive but inconsistent passer. In 2019, he became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 30 or more touchdowns and 30 or more interceptions. Tampa Bay let him go in 2020, signed Tom Brady and immediately won a Super Bowl. Since then, Winston’s had stops in New Orleans and Cleveland and gone 8-9 as a starter.

Tampa Bay went with Winston, who was the best quarterback in a down year for the position, in a relatively weak class. The best players from the 2015 draft were late-round picks Danielle Hunter (third round, No. 88 overall) and Stefon Diggs (fifth round, No. 146). The best first-round picks were Amari Cooper (No. 4), Leonard Williams (No. 6) and Marcus Peters (No. 18). Only Peters made more than one All-Pro team.

4. QB Sam Bradford (2010)

Bradford was a highly-touted prospect in 2010 with a Heisman Trophy award in 2008 behind a record-setting year at Oklahoma. He backed those expectations by winning Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2010.

But after that, Bradford struggled with injuries. He missed most of the 2013 season and all of 2014 with knee injuries. He led the league in completion percentage in 2016 with the Vikings but never stuck as a long-term starter at any of his stops in the NFL.

Bradford ended up as the best quarterback in the class, but there were some All-Pro and future Hall of Fame talents in the class that the Rams missed out on. Trent Williams went No. 4 overall to Washington and is still playing at a high level. Ndamukong Suh was a three-time All-Pro at the No. 2 overall pick. Earl Thomas, the No. 14 overall pick, was the linchpin of the best defenses of the 2010s in Seattle.

3. QB David Carr (2002)

The expansion Houston Texans made Carr their first draft pick in franchise history, but he wasn’t set up for early success. The Fresno State star was sacked 76 times in 16 games as a rookie, a record that stands more than 20 years later. Things didn’t improve with time; Carr was the most-sacked quarterback in three of his first four NFL seasons.

His best season came in 2006 when he led the Texans to a 6-10 record with a league-high 68.3% completion percentage. After that, he was a backup at multiple stops, winning a Super Bowl with the Giants in 2012 as a backup.

The downside to this pick is that the No. 2 selection in the draft was a future Hall of Fame defensive end, Julius Peppers. Additionally, down the board in Round 1 you also had Hall of Famer Ed Reed (No. 24) and star defensive end Dwight Freeney (No. 11). There weren’t any good quarterbacks in the class but plenty of pieces to build around.

2. DE Courtney Brown (2000)

The NFL kicked off the new millennia with a relatively down draft. The top seven picks in the 2000 draft were out of the league by 2010. Brown lasted six years in the league and played a full season just once as he was plagued by injuries throughout his time in Cleveland. He had a career-high six sacks in 2003 but that was the height of his production.

Down the board, No. 9 overall pick Brian Urlacher stands out as the best first-round pick that year. He’s the lone Hall of Fame player from that draft class at the moment but that will change with time; Tom Brady is a lock for Canton once he’s eligible.

1. QB JaMarcus Russell (2007)

Russell’s often considered the worst No. 1 overall pick of all time, not just in the last 25 years. The then-Oakland Raiders spent the first overall pick on the LSU passer who was considered a physical marvel at 6-foot-6 and 265 pounds with a rocket arm and elite athleticism for that size.

He played one full season as a starter in 2008 and went 5-10. He started 25 games over three years and went 7-18. He was benched mid-season in 2009 and ended the year last in most statistics among qualifying quarterbacks.

What makes this pick especially tough is how great the players taken after Russell at No. 1 panned out in the NFL. The following two players selected after him – Calvin Johnson at No. 2 and Joe Thomas at No. 3 – both are in the Hall of Fame. Adrian Peterson (No. 7) is likely heading there as soon as he’s eligible. Even farther down the board, Patrick Willis (No. 11) and Darrelle Revis (No. 14) are enshrined in Canton.