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PODCAST

Skin in the Game

Get ready for a front-row seat to the business of sports with Skin in the Game, the weekly sports industry podcast hosted by sports marketing expert John Cimperman and veteran sports business journalist Tim O’Shei. If you follow sports news, sports business trends, or the fast-changing world of NIL, college athletics, pro leagues, and sports media, this show is your essential listen.Each episode goes beyond the headlines to explain why these developments matter. Skin in the Game breaks down how

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All Episodes

53:54

Forged for Gold: What It Takes to Become an Olympian

Skin in the Game ·

2026/02/21

Recorded live at Holiday Valley Ski Resort in Ellicottville, New York, this Olympic Special of Skin In The Game explores what it truly takes to compete at the highest level in sport.Hosts John Cimperman and Tim O’Shei sit down with three-time Paralympic gold medalist Adam Page, training center director Miguel Azcarate, and sports performance coach Dr. Jason Rich for a powerful conversation about sacrifice, deliberate practice, pressure, and mental resilience. Airing during the Olympic Closing

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54:13

Leaving It All on the Field: Brandon Steiner, Sports...

Skin in the Game ·

2026/02/14

Entrepreneur and sports memorabilia pioneer Brandon Steiner joins Skin In The Game for a conversation about building businesses, preserving sports history and turning passion into purpose.Steiner shares the entrepreneurial mindset that fueled his rise from a childhood spent working in a bagel factory to creating one of the most influential memorabilia businesses in sports. He reflects on decades of working with elite athletes, navigating fame and fortune and learning that success isn’t about

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54:16

Turf Wars: DeMaurice Smith on Power, Labor, and the...

Skin in the Game ·

2026/02/07

Former NFL Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith joins Skin In The Game for a candid, wide-ranging conversation with hosts John Cimperman and Tim O’Shei about power, labor, and the true business of professional football.Drawing from his new book Turf Wars: The Fight for the Soul of America’s Game, Smith takes listeners inside nearly 15 years of battles with the NFL — from collective bargaining and player safety to race, money, media, and the hidden forces that shape the league

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54:29

Beyond the Podium: Steve Mesler on Life After Olympic...

Skin in the Game ·

2026/01/31

What happens after you achieve the dream?In this episode of Skin In The Game, hosts John Cimperman and Tim O’Shei sit down with Steve Mesler, Olympic bobsled gold medalist and founder of Mesler Performance Group, for a deeply honest conversation about success, identity, and life after elite competition. Mesler reflects on his journey from Western New York to Olympic gold in 2010, the pressure and danger of competing at the highest level, and the unexpected emotional challenges that followed the

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53:52

How Winning Teams Are Built: Craig Custance on...

Skin in the Game ·

2026/01/24

What does it really take to build a winning sports organization?In this episode of Skin In The Game, hosts John Cimperman and Tim O’Shei sit down with Craig Custance, author of The Franchise: The Business of Building Winning Teams and Head of Creative Development at The Athletic, for a deep dive into leadership behind the scenes of professional hockey. Custance draws on years of reporting and unprecedented access to NHL general managers, owners, and executives to explore how championship teams

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53:14

Rick Westhead on Junior Hockey’s Reckoning and the...

Skin in the Game ·

2026/01/10

In this episode of Skin in the Game, award-winning investigative journalist Rick Westhead joins John and Tim for a powerful and deeply reported conversation about his book “We Breed Lions” and the culture of junior hockey in Canada.

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61:21

The Psychology of Trash Talk: How Words Win Games...

Skin in the Game ·

2025/12/27

In this episode of Skin in the Game, John and Tim dive into the psychology, history, and surprising power of trash talk with journalist and author Rafi Kohan, whose latest book explores how a few well-timed words can shape competition, performance, and culture. From Larry Bird and Michael Jordan to Tiger Woods and modern-day MMA, Kohan explains how trash talk isn’t just bravado — it’s a deeply human form of communication rooted in psychology, identity, and strategy. They explore why trash talk

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52:39

Influence in Sports: Josh Barnett and an Encore...

Skin in the Game ·

2025/12/20

This episode of Skin In The Game explores the influence and leadership that impacts the future of sports.In the first half of the episode, hosts John Cimperman and Tim O’Shei are joined by Josh Barnett of Sports Business Journal, the premier business-to-business publication in the sports industry. Barnett walks through SBJ’s Influence 125, a look at the most influential people in sports over the past 25 years. He explains how the list was created, why it isn’t ranked, and how influence shows up

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53:43

Inside Lake Placid: Skiing, Tourism, and an Olympic...

Skin in the Game ·

2025/12/13

Lake Placid has long been synonymous with Olympic history, but today it’s also a case study in how sport, tourism, and economic development work hand in hand. In this episode, John Cimperman sits down with Darcy Norfolk Rowe, Director of Communications for the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA), to explore the business and impact of winter sports in New York State.

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52:30

The Real Impact of Golf: Jobs, Tourism & Policy in...

Skin in the Game ·

2025/12/06

Golf is more than a game. It’s an economic engine, a job creator, a tourism magnet, and a powerful steward of green space. In this episode, John and Tim unpack the findings of New York State’s new Golf Impact Study with guests Gina Rizzi and Tom Kaplan, revealing a side of the sport most people never think about.The conversation begins with the dollars-and-cents impact: how golf supports local economies, drives tourism in both Western New York and Southern Ontario, and sustains thousands of jobs

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52:29

How FloSports Built a Streaming Empire for Overlooked...

Skin in the Game ·

2025/11/29

What began in 2006 as two brothers with a van, a camera, and a belief that overlooked sports deserved real coverage has grown into a powerhouse that streams 50,000 events a year across more than 25 sports, from wrestling and track to cheer, motorsports, and elite global hockey.FloSports CEO and co-founder Mark Floreani and content producer Mark Bader join John and Tim for a deep dive into one of the most fascinating disruptors in sports media. Mark shares how FloSports identified the “long-tail”

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52:29

The Rise of Olympic Flag Football: Inside USA...

Skin in the Game ·

2025/11/24

In 2028, flag football heads to the Olympics, and USA Football is steering the ship. In this episode, John and Tim talk with Scott Hallenbeck, CEO of USA Football, and Callie Brownson, former NFL coach and current head of high-performance for the U.S. national teams, about the rapid rise of the sport and what it means for athletes across the country. Scott walks us through USA Football’s evolution into the nation’s first governing body for the sport. He explains how the NFL’s investment,

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52:34

Reimagining the Coliseum: Inside Hamilton’s $300...

Skin in the Game ·

2025/11/15

This week on Skin In The Game, John Cimperman and Tim O’Shei connect with Nick DeLuco, senior vice president and general manager of the newly transformed TD Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario.

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52:59

How the NFL Became America’s Religion & Why Every Day...

Skin in the Game ·

2025/11/08

New York Times reporter Ken Belson, author of “Every Day Is Sunday,” joins John and Tim to unpack the business and culture behind America’s most powerful sports league, and to share why this story resonates even if you’re not a football fan.

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52:34

How General Sports’ Lou DePaoli Builds Winning Teams...

Skin in the Game ·

2025/11/01

This week, John Cimperman and Tim O’Shei sit down with sports business veteran Lou DePaoli, President Executive Search and Team Consulting at General Sports Worldwide. From the AHL and MLB to the NBA and now global consulting, DePaoli’s career has spanned nearly every corner of professional sports.

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52:34

Inside M&T Bank’s Playbook: Sports Marketing, Brand...

Skin in the Game ·

2025/10/25

This week on Skin In The Game, John Cimperman and Tim O’Shei sit down with Jan Liebchen, Senior Vice President of Brand Marketing at M&T Bank, to explore how one of the region’s most recognizable brands uses sports and community partnerships to deepen its connection with customers.

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52:34

Danny Gare on Scoring, Grit and Building Hockey’s Future

Skin in the Game ·

2025/10/18

This week, John Cimperman and Tim O’Shei welcome Buffalo Sabres legend Danny Gare (No. 18). Gare reflects on a career defined by goal-scoring and old-school toughness, from his first NHL shift to living through the rough-and-tumble 1970s—and why those first five years are the ones you miss most.

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52:34

Two Leagues, One Game: Paul Woods on the Power of...

Skin in the Game ·

2025/10/11

This week on Skin in the Game, John Cimperman and Tim O’Shei sit down with Paul Woods, Canadian Football League historian, journalist and author, to explore the evolving story of the Toronto Argonauts and Canadian Football.

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53:57

The Rise of Women’s Hockey: Katy Knoll and the PWHL

Skin in the Game ·

2025/10/06

This week on Skin in the Game, John and Tim sit down with Katy Knoll, forward for the Minnesota Frost of the Professional Women’s Hockey League. Knoll reflects on the opportunity the PWHL is creating for athletes like her, and what it means for this moment in women’s sports.

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52:34

Lake Placid Mountain Biking and ORDA’s Sports Innovation

Skin in the Game ·

2025/09/27

This week on Skin in the Game, John Cimperman welcomes Kris Cheney Seymour, senior manager of sport strategy and engagement, and Tait Wardlaw, vice president of sales, marketing and communications at the Olympic Regional Development Authority.

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71 results

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