Down goes Steph Curry

After sitting out the past 2 games against the Rockets, Steph Curry was able to play in game 4. Unfortunately for Curry he went down, with a Grade 1 knee sprain. This means that there is slight damage; the ligaments are stretched but not torn, and the knee still has stability. He will be reevaluated in 2 weeks to determine if he will be able to return. With Curry going down, the rest of the players on the Warriors will have to step up if they want to repeat as NBA Champions. I never want to see a player get hurt, but it is hard to go an entire NBA season fully healthy. I know I am a little bias, but this was every Cleveland Cavaliers fan's dream; to see Curry to go down. Hopefully in his absence, a team will be able to beat the Warriors, giving the Cavaliers a shot at the title!

Cavaliers sweep round 1

Get your brooms out, the Cleveland Cavaliers swept the Detroit Pistons in round one of the NBA playoffs. In just one week, Cavaliers Head Coach Tyrone Lue went from having zero playoff experience under his belt to taking out a guy he once played for, Stan Van Gundy, with four wins in four games. LeBron James said, "We definitely recognize it and understand that it's his first challenge, and he succeeded as well as any coach could, or if it was a player, as any player could in their first series. He physically, mentally and spiritually prepared us every single night and gave us a game plan, along with the coaching staff. We as players could execute that as close to 100 percent, then we had a good chance to win every game, which we did, because of the preparation of those guys- starting with Coach Lue, our captain-- put us in position to do."

The Cavaliers will play the winner of the Boston- Atlanta series, which is tied 2-2. The Cavs sweep was important, as it gives the players some rest as they prepare for their next opponent!

Nike terminated endorsement with Johnny Manziel

The hits keep coming for 23- year- old free- agent Johnny Manziel, after Nike decided to cut their ties with him. Nike signed Manziel for a shoe and apparel deal in March 2014 to a multiyear deal, but is no longer an endorser of the brand. The former Browns quarterback had already been dumped by his original contract agent, his marketing agent, as well as his second contract agent. Jonny needs to get his life back on track if he wants to play football sometime soon.

Nike wasn't afraid to cut ties with Manziel. This is the sixth contract Nike has terminated in the past three- and- a- half years. Those whose deals were ended prematurely include Lance Armstrong, Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson, Oscar Pistorius, and Manny Pacquiao.

Cavs Big 3

The Cleveland Cavaliers Big 3, consisting of LeBron James, Kevin Love, and Kyrie Irving, seems to be clicking at the right time. Game 1 against the Detroit Pistons of the Playoffs, we saw the Big 3 drop a total of 81 points. Irving scored a playoff career- high 31 points and added six assists and five rebounds. Love set a playoff career- highs in points with 28 and 13 rebounds, and James had 22 points, 11 assists, six rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. If the Cavs Big 3 keep this play up, there is no doubt that they will make it back to the Finals and have a great shot to win the NBA Championship.

Read More: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/playoffs/2016/04/17/lebron-james-kevin-love-kyrie-irving-cavaliers-pistons-playoffs/83169080/

Kobe goes out in style

Kobe Bryant's last game of his basketball career came to an end on Wednesday night. Fan's final vision of Kobe in a purple and gold uniform was like many before as the Lakers' legend scored a spectacular 60 points in his farewell NBA game. In the fourth quarter, he outscored the Jazz 23-21. With his team trailing with just under six minutes to go, he scored 17 consecutive points for his team. Kobe got his first NBA points at the free throw line and also ended his career at the free throw line

A quick look at some of Kobe's accomplishments:

• third all- time scorer in total points
• scored 81 points on January 22, 2006 against the Toronto Raptors
• 5- time NBA champion
• two Olympic gold medals
• NBA MVP in 2008
• 18 All- Star selections
• two- time NBA scoring champion
• four- time NBA All- Star game MVP
• six 60 point games

Kobe will go down in history as the best player! #ThankYouKobe

Kobe Bryant's famous pregame shooting

There are many things that Kobe Bryant has done in his memorable 20 year career, but one thing remains the same: his pregame shoot around. The routine begins at every arena about four hours before tipoff. Bryant will typically begin beneath the rim, making 15 to 20 shots with each hand just to get loose, to gain a rhythm and feel for the ball going through the net. He'll then move to midrange and shoot from about 15 feet along each baseline, at each wing, at the free- throw line area, making 15-20 shots at each spot. He'll then move to the free throw line, making free throws until he feels good and wants to move to the next spot. Then, he will move beyond the arc, shooting 3- pointers from each corner, each wing and the top of the key, making between 10 and 20 shots at each spot. He will then move back inside the arc, shoot more free throws and begin working closer to the basket. His whole routine lasts about 20-30 minutes, which he'll make around 250 shots.

There are only two more games before his NBA career will come to a close.

Reporters show support for Craig Sager

Players and coaches are not the only ones in the NBA honoring Craig Sager. Fellow reporters made a colorful show of support Tuesday night for Craig Sager. Reporters across the NBA donned flashy threads and used the hashtag #SidelineforSager. Sager is known to wear flashy clothing, sometimes not always matching.

Here are some examples of sideline reporters showing their support:

Was that the best NCAA Title game ever?

Number 2 seed Villanova and number 1 seed North Carolina took to the floor on Monday night in the NCAA National Championship game. The show Villanova and UNC put on Monday night proved that both teams deserved to win the title. Villanova took a 10 point lead but UNC kept battling. Marcus Paige hit key shots, especially the off balanced, double- clutched, mid air 3-point shot with 4.7 seconds remaining in a tie game. North Carolina had to play defense for 4.7 seconds to force overtime. The unexpected happened. Kris Jenkins got the ball and took aim from near NBA range and fired. Game over. National Champions.

Being a Carolina fan, it was a heartbreaker to watch. After Paige hit the 3 to tie the game, I thought that the game would go into overtime. I was wrong. It was a heck of a shot by Jenkins on the biggest stage of his life. It was a great game to watch and has to go down as the best NCAA Title game ever!

U.S. Women's team files wage- discrimination vs. U.S. Soccer

Five members of the World Cup Championship team-- including stars, Hope Solo, Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, and Becky Sauerbrunn-- have filed a wage- discrimination action against the U.S. Soccer Federation with Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Hope Solo said, "In this day and age, it's about equality. It's about equal rights. It's about equal pay. We're pushing for that. We believe now the time is right because we believe it's our responsibility for women's sports and specifically for women's soccer to do whatever it takes to push for equal pay and equal rights. And to be treated with respect." Carli Lloyd also said, "I think the timing is right. I think we've proven our worth over the years. Just coming off a World Cup win, the pay disparity between the men and the women is just too large. We want to continue to fight. The generation of players before us fought. And now it's our job to keep on fighting."

Among the numbers cited in the EEOC filing: The women would earn $99,000 each if they won 20 friendlies, the minimum number they are required to play in a year. But the men would likely earn $263,320 each for the same feat, and would get $100,000 even if they lost all 20 games. Additionally, the women get paid northing for playing more than 20 games, while the men get between $5,000 and $17,625 for each game played beyond 20.

The pay for playing in the World Cup is also greatly disparate. The U.S. women received a team total of $2 million when it won the World Cup last year in Canada. Yet when the men played in the World Cup in Brazil in 2014, the team earned a total of $9 million despite going just 1-2-1 and being knocked out in the round of 16. Hope Solo said, "We are the best in the world, have three World Cup championships, and the men get paid more to just show up than we get paid to win major championships."

A group of players led by Abby Wambach filed a complait in Canada about the artificial turf playing surface, noting the men's World Cup is played on natural grass. After the women won the World Cup with a 5-2 victory over Japan in the final, the turf issue arose again during the USWNT Victory Tour when a game in Hawaii was canceled because the turf was deemed unsafe.

Former U.S Soccer Player, Landon Donovan tweeted out about this issue as well as Presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton. These women have won far more championships then the Men's National Team, yet still get treated like they are worth nothing. There were never a lot of fans that would go cheer on the WNT but these women took the country by storm, filling up stadiums and selling out of tickets. These women are very inspirational and are not afraid to fight for what they deserve.

Craig Sager no longer in remission

TNT announcer, Craig Sager revealed that the acute myeloid leukemia he has battled for the last two years is no longer in remission. This, unfortunately, isn't the first setback Sager has suffered during his fight. Mere weeks after being cleared to resume television work in March of 2015, his leukemia returned, forcing him to step away from his assignments during the 2015 NCAA Tournament and "NBA on TNT" once more. After several more moths of treatment, including a transplant of bone marrow donated by his son, Sager came back for the NBA's 2015-16 Media Day in September.

Sager continues to make monthly trips to Houston throughout the season, and was healthy enough to resume his responsibilities at the NBA's annual All- Star Weekend in Toronto, but his status took a turn last month.

Sager plans to continue carrying out his NBA responsibilities and maintaining his presence on "NBA on TNT." During an interview with HBO, Sager said, "Still kicking, still fighting. I haven't won the battle. It's not over yet. But I haven't lost it, either. There have been some victories and some setbacks, but I still have to fight it. A lot of work to do." Unfortunately, doctors told him that he had 3- to- 6 moths to live. Sager also said, "I think my demise has been prematurely reported. I think I'm going to kick this and make medical history and I really believe that."

Everyone around the world and people in the NBA are standing behind Craig Sager during this difficult time. He is a great role model, showing people to never give up!

Von Miller and Antonio Brown move it on Dancing with the Stars

Super Bowl 50 MVP, Von Miller, and Steelers MVP, Antonio Brown, and made their debut on Dancing with the Stars. During their performance, Miller and Brown stayed true to their NFL teams and colors. Miller was decked out in a shiny blue suit trimmed with beads, an orange tie and pocket square and his signature glasses. Brown wore black and a very- shiny gold vest and bowtie.

It's pretty neat to see NFL stars taking time out of their busy schedule to be on popular dancing show. Their scores were among the best of the night, leaving them in contention to follow former NFL standouts Emmitt Smith, Hines Ward, and Donald Driver, all of whom won the DWTS title.

Tune in on Mondays at 8:00 pm to catch Von Miller and Antonio Brown.

DraftKings, DanDuel to stop in NY

To happen immediately, daily fantasy sites DraftKings and FanDuel will stop operating paid contests in New York. In exchange, NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman will wait until an appeals hearing is held to pursue underlying litigation that, if successful, would force these fantasy sites to pay restitution to participants who lost money playing the sites' games. Schneiderman believes that daily fantasy sports violate state gambling laws. The daily fantasy sites have argued that they offer games of skill, not games of chance, and as such are in compliance with state and federal laws. New York residents were responsible for more than $267 million in entry fees and $24.8 million in revenue for daily fantasy sites in 2015, making it the second- largest DFS state behind California.

Upsets. Upsets. And More Upsets.

Round one of the NCAA March Madness tournament had a lot of upsets. We saw teams like Michigan State, Baylor, and Cal loose, while teams like Middle Tennessee State, Yale, and Hawaii pick up wins over these top teams. Out of the roughly 13million entries in the ESPN Tournament Challenge, none of them are perfect. Nobody thought that Middle Tennessee State would beat Michigan State, as most people had them making it to the Final Four and Championship game.

Middle Tennessee players

celebrate after knocking off

Michigan State.

James Conner is back.... well almost

James Connor participates in drills amid
Cancer treatment.

Just 24 hours after chemotherapy treatment number 8, Pitt Panther Running Back, James Conner joined his teammates on the field for spring practice. Conner was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in December. After his diagnosis, he said, "When I heard those words-- 'You have cancer'-- I admit I was scared. But after thinking about it for a bit, I realized that fear is a choice. I choose to not fear cancer. I choose to fight it and I will win it." Although he cannot participate in contact drills because of the port, his presence on the field, is enough to excite his teammates. Connor has said multiple times that he hopes to play in Pitt's season opener September 3 against Villanova.

Martavis Bryant facing year long suspension

Bryant (#10) goes up for a catch against

Josh Gordy (#27) of the

Indianapolis Colts.

It was confirmed on Saturday, that Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant is facing a year long suspension related to the NFL drug policy. Last year, Bryant served a four- game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy. He is fighting depression and has plans to enter rehab to help cope with his depression. Bryant has plans to appeal his suspension. If the year long suspension does hold up, he will have to be reinstated in the NFL by the commissioner.

Sharapova admits to failing a drug test

Sharapova speaking out at press conference on Monday

After rumors swirled about Maria Sharapova announcing retirement, she revealed during a press conference that she had failed a drug test at the Australian Open in January. Sharapova said the drug that she was taking was Meldonium and it had been prescribed by her doctor because she has a magnesium deficiency and a family history of diabetes. The drug had not been on the banned list for the past 10 years but as of January 1, 2016. the rules changed. It is not known how long she will be held out of competition for. As for any athlete, this is not the way you want to retire from a sport.

Peyton Manning announces retirment

A look at just how great
Manning was in his
career.

After 18 years in the NFL, 5 MVP's, 2 Super Bowl Championships, and numerous records, Peyton Manning has decided it was time to hang up his shoes. He retires as the all- time leader with 539 regular- season touchdown passes and 71,490 yards. He is also tied with Brett Farve for the most regular- season wins as a starting quarterback with 186, but including playoffs, the total jumps to 200 wins. Manning will forever go down as one of the greatest quarterbacks to play the game. He left a legacy on the game of football that will never go unforgotten.

Kendrick Lamar Releases New Album Per LeBron James

Kendrick Lamar receiving a  Grammy.

Who knew that one tweet could influence a music artist. LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers sent out a tweet to Kendrick Lamar about releasing new untitled tracks. Lamar granted James' request by tweeting out his new album, "untitled unmastered" to the world. This shows the impact that social media can have on celebrities. Shortly after Cavs shoot around, James posted a video on his Instragram account of him listening to one of Lamar's songs in his car.

Introduction

Pictured here is my best friend (left) Karis Kosobucki, and myself (right).

My name is Jessica Damico. I graduated in May 2015 from Villa Maria Academy, which is a private, Catholic, all- girls High School in Erie, Pennsylvania. I played basketball for three years.

I am a second semester freshman at Slippery Rock University, majoring in Sport Management. I am involved in the First Year Leader Scholar Program (FYLSP), University Program Board (UPB), and the Sport Management Alliance. Next semester, I hope to get involved in many other clubs and organizations.

Upon graduation in May 2019, after receiving my Bachelor of Science Degree, I hope to be working in the Front Office of a professional sports team, either in Community Relations or Communications.

I will be using this blog to write about current events that are happening in the Sport industry.