Lectures on Tap - "The Dark Psychology of Sports Obsession"

📍 Location: Exact address given in confirmation email

📚 Lecture: “The Dark Psychology of Sports Obsession”

🎤 Speaker: Prof. Gina Antoniello

Join us for a provocative evening examining the psychological forces that shape sports fandom—for better and for worse. Professor Gina Antoniello will explore how loyalty to teams can forge identity, community, and joy, while also giving rise to obsession, aggression, and tribal thinking. Grounded in social psychology, this engaging lecture unpacks the cognitive biases and emotional dynamics that can transform enthusiasm into hostility.

Discover how concepts such as moral disengagement and identity fusion help explain behaviors ranging from hooliganism and fan entitlement to parasocial fixation. Drawing on her expertise in sports business and advocacy, Antoniello offers a clear-eyed look at how deep emotional investment in sport can both heal and harm—and what that means for fans, teams, and the cultures that surround them.

Professor Gina Antoniello is a leading expert in sports business with consulting experience for notable teams like the Golden State Warriors and Brooklyn Nets, and she is deeply committed to advocacy in sports, focusing on gender equity and inclusive leadership. Don't miss this opportunity hear her insights!

Get a drink, connect, and learn at Lectures on Tap! 🙌

Agenda

6:30 PM – Doors open: find a seat (open seating!), order food & drinks, and expect a bar line—arriving early is key.

6:55 PM – Host introduction

7:00 PM – Lecture begins

7:45 PM – Audience Q&A

8:00 PM – Have 1:1 time with the speaker, mingle with fellow guests, and order another round

8:30 PM – Wrap up.