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Skin in the Game

What Have We Lost? David Macfarlane on the Business of Modern Sports

Published July 25, 2026 at 4:00 PM EDT
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Mariann Do

Sports have never been bigger—or more profitable. But has something been lost along the way?

This week on Skin In The Game, John Cimperman and Tim O'Shei welcome acclaimed Canadian author David Macfarlane to discuss his latest book, On Sports. From the overnight explosion of sports gambling and billion-dollar revenues to a growing emphasis on entertainment over athletic excellence, Macfarlane claims that today’s sports have fundamentally changed fan experience.

The conversation explores why sports continue to unite communities, the tension between tradition and commercialization, the role athletes play in today's culture, and whether it's still possible to preserve the authenticity that made people fall in love with sports in the first place.

Part memoir, part cultural commentary, and part sports business discussion, this episode asks a timely question: Can sports continue to grow without losing their soul?

Skin in the Game 2026
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