All That Fuss Over...A Nice Dunk

I'm guessing you've seen it by now, either the TMZ footage or the much better eBaumNation footage.  I think we can all finally come to the same conclusion that it was:

1. A nice, if not terribly out of the ordinary, dunk.
2. Not that big a deal.

If LeBron doesn't tell the Nike exec to pry those tapes from Ryan Miller and the other cameraman's hands, it likely just lives and dies a short existence in our consciousness for a couple hours one day and then we never think of it again.  Maybe it comes up again one day when Jordan Crawford is in the draft.  That's about it.

Of course, the tapes were confiscated and the event became a media sensation.  The person caught in the middle of all of this was SU's own Ryan Miller, now all growns up.  As the furor dies down and the inevitable "is that all there is?" malaise kicks in, I thought it might be a good time to get some closing thoughts from Ryan on the whole thing. 

Did you know there might be other people filming other than  yourself and the other cameraman who had his tape confiscated?

There was talk between myself and other writers after Nike took the tapes that someone had to have recorded it on a cell phone camera. There were too many people in the building between 80 high school athletes, 20-plus coaches and other camp volunteers to not have one person capture it. I didn't think a tape would resurface after the initial few days the story exploded in the media because the time for someone to sell the footage would be at its peak interest then, but I've now heard they two photographers were shopping the video to other companies (ESPN included, which declined to buy it) during that time.

Whatever TMZ paid for that footage, the value is due in large  part to your "whistle-blowing" of the whole thing.  Feel like you  deserve a cut?

I didn't publicize the incident to make money off it. I blogged about it and agreed to a few interviews for mainly two reasons: 1) of the principle that Nike took my property and it was wrong and 2) because this event sparked sports fans' curiosity and I felt by coming forward, it might put pressure on Nike to give the tapes back to their rightful owners so fans could see the dunk. Now at least fans are able to see the dunk, and yes it's a little disappointing that someone else's video was released, but kudos to them for capitalizing on it.

How was the whirlwind media tour and were there any offers or  appearances that you turned down? What was your favorite moment of  it all?

I thought the whirlwind media tour was over, until the comeback tour that's started today once TMZ revealed a copy of the tape. I feel like The Eagles now. Originally, I received a ton of interview requests, and had to turn some down, but made sure I responded to every single one because I know what it?s like trying to book sports interviews and not hearing back. I was contacted by Inside Edition, but didn't want to lose credibility as a guest on a gossip show, but then ironically the footage was released by TMZ, another gossip site. Maybe I should've just agreed to the Inside Edition interview. I could've followed a story about Brooke Hogan?s dispute with her mom!

Have you spoken to yours and LeBron's mutual friend Jonny Flynn  about the brou-ha-ha?

HAHA, yes I've spoken with Jonny Flynn a couple of times. I admit I was nervous at first because if he had to pick a side, I'm guessing I'd lose that one. I tried to ease my way into a conversation by asking him if he saw Warriors forward Anthony Randolph's 42 point outburst in that night's summer league game, but he joked that he knew I didn't want to talk about Anthony Randolph. Jonny just wanted to know how bad the dunk really was and said once he got to summer league it was the main topic of discussion between the players.

Do you think you've officially been blacklisted from any future Nike events?

That has crossed my mind, and they could try to deny me a credential to another Nike event claiming that I violated their rules last time, but I'm sure I'll still be applying for their camps next year. That will be as awkward as an 8th grade dance (especially because all the girls were way taller than me). Hopefully Reebok and Adidas start picking up the pace with a few entrepreneurial ideas by the time next summer rolls around. One thing is certain: I haven't been blacklisted from purchasing Nike. I needed new sneakers and had a pair shipped from Finish Line the other day.

Has the notoriety helped at all in the job search?

I've made a ton of contacts through this whole experience and have had great conversations with people in the business whose work I admire (and am about to pay significantly when my phone bill cycle ends today). It hasn't necessarily led to any job offers, but just to talk for 20-30 minutes at a time to journalists like Sports Illustrated's Richard Deitsch, TrueHoop's Henry Abbott and Monday Night Football's Michele Tafoya has been beneficial in other ways. It's funny how they would call me explaining which outlet they write for or the name of their radio show when really I've been reading or following them for years and would ordinarily be issuing out requesting interviews, not vice versa. My plan is to continue to look for freelance opportunities, trying to prove that I can also put together some decent content and TV packages instead of just piss off the top athlete and sportswear supplier in the world. Jets and Bills camps coming up, anyone need articles or TV stories?!

Good luck in the job hunt Ryan.  In the meantime we'll keep an eye on The Orange Segment and look for you on an upcoming episode of Inside Edition.