Lectures on Tap - "Fandom, Belonging, and Social Well-Being in Sport"

📍 Location: Exact address given in confirmation email

🧠 Lecture: "Why Fans Have More Friends: Fandom, Belonging, and Social Well-Being in Sport"

🎤 Speaker: Professor Gina Antoniello

Why do sports fans feel so deeply connected—to teams, cities, and even complete strangers in the stands? This lecture takes you inside the powerful psychology of fandom and how rooting for a team can make us feel more alive, more supported, and less alone.

Led by Professor Gina Antoniello—Academic Director and Clinical Assistant Professor at NYU’s Tisch Institute for Global Sport and former marketing-communications leader for the Golden State Warriors and Brooklyn Nets—this talk explores how psychological commitment to a team strengthens social well-being, builds community, and turns “they” into “we.”

From game-day rituals and local pride to watch parties, rivalries, and collective joy, you’ll discover how fandom operates as friendship infrastructure in an increasingly disconnected world. Antoniello’s career at the intersection of sport, culture, and social impact, along with her work launching innovative ventures and reimagining how sport can shape society, informs a dynamic, insightful session.

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.