009 // Identity, tribalism and sport

Featured speaker: Eric Simons

Few things unite large groups of people like sports. The experience of sharing in a common goal is so powerful that the only thing that generates as much public interest and passion as sports is politics, which shares its tendency toward tribalism. Why do we feel the successes and failures of “our” sports teams so deeply? This salon will delve into the biology and psychology behind the experience of sports fandom, as well as broader themes of tribalism and how our brains associate identity with a sense of place.

Eric is a journalist based in San Francisco. He is the editorial director at Bay Nature and the author of The Secret Lives of Sports Fans: The Science of Sports Obsession.