Adam Christopher Earnheardt is an American academic and author, sports and communication researcher, and social media critic. He is professor and former chair of the Department of Communication at

Youngstown State University Youngstown State University (YSU or Youngstown State) is a public university in Youngstown, Ohio. It was founded in 1908 and is the easternmost member of the University System of Ohio. The university is composed of six undergraduate colleges an ...

, located in

Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County, Ohio, Mahoning County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of ...

. He researches the effects of communication devices and social media on society, and studies the media uses and psychology of sports fans and families."The psychology of sports: Why do fans care so much?"
''Canton Repository''. Earnheardt is a columnist with Mahoning Matters, a news outlet with the

Google Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...

McClatchy The McClatchy Company, commonly referred to as simply McClatchy, is an American publishing company incorporated under Delaware's General Corporation Law and based in Sacramento, California. It operates 29 daily newspapers in fourteen states and ...

Compass Project where he writes with his partner, Dr. Mary Beth Earnheardt, about family and parenting during the COVID-19 pandemic. Earnheardt was a weekly columnist for

The Vindicator ''The Vindicator'' is a daily newspaper serving Youngstown, Ohio, United States and the Mahoning County region as well as southern Trumbull County and northern Columbiana County. ''The Vindicator'' was established in 1869. As of September 1, 2019 ...

and

Tribune Chronicle The ''Tribune Chronicle'' is a daily morning newspaper serving Warren, Ohio and the Mahoning Valley area of the United States. The newspaper claims to be the second oldest in the U.S. state of Ohio.

newspapers from 2014 to 2021, where he focused on the impact of technology and media on relationships and society.

Early life and education

Earnheardt was born in

Killeen, Texas Killeen is a city in Bell County, Texas, United States. According to the 2020 census, its population was 153,095, making it the 19th-most populous city in Texas and the largest of the three principal cities of Bell County. It is the principal city ...

in 1970 and grew up in

Brackenridge, Pennsylvania Brackenridge is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, located along the Allegheny River. It is part of the Greater Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The town is named for Henry Marie Brackenridge. The borough once had glass f ...

, a small steel town north of

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. He attended Cheswick Christian Academy in

Cheswick, Pennsylvania Cheswick is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. The population was 1,672 as of the 2020 census.https://data.census.gov/all?q=Cheswick+borough,+Allegheny+County,+Pennsylvania History Cheswick, named for a town in England, is a small tow ...

, and then

Roberts Wesleyan College Roberts Wesleyan University is a private Christian university offering liberal arts and professional programs in Rochester, New York. It was the first educational institution established for Free Methodists in North America. Roberts is accredit ...

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

for three years before earning a Bachelor of Science degree and Master of Science degree in communication at

Clarion University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Western University, Clarion, also known as PennWest Clarion, is a public university campus in Clarion, Pennsylvania. Part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE), the institution was founded in 1867 and offers ...

, and a Doctorate of Philosophy degree in communication studies at

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in As ...

where he received the Outstanding Dissertation Award in 2007.

Career

In 2012, Earnheardt was named chair of the department of communication at Youngstown State. Earnheardt has co-authored several articles and books on the subject of communication, relationships, sports, media and fan behavior. He has published a number of articles about fan attachment and the effects of social media on fandom, is frequently quoted in the media on this subject, delivers talks on the role of sports in society, and is called on to advise issues related to social media and technology. He was interviewed for the ViceTV docuseries, The Dark Side of Football for an episode which focused on fandom and the National Football League. Earnheardt has interviewed notable individuals invited to lecture as part of the

Skeggs Lecture Series. In 2016, he interviewed former New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, and in 2017, he interviewed author

Margaret Atwood Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, teacher, environmental activist, and inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of non-fiction, nin ...

as part of the lecture series.

Honors and awards

Earnheardt was presented with the Diversity Leadership Award in 2016. In 2012, he received the Smith-Murphy Award for Outstanding Teaching, as well as a Young Professional Award from Kent State University. In 2009, he was recognized as one of the top 40 young professionals under the age of 40 by the MVP 20/30 Club, and then recognized as one of the "Top 5" MVPs from the group of 40. The award is given to residents in the

area who have excelled in their professions and have demonstrated a commitment to community involvement. Also in 2009, Earnheardt received the Distinguished Professor for Public Service.

Published works

* * * *"United we boom"
''Spokesman-Review'', FEB. 1, 2015, By Paul Turner * * * *

References

External links

*https://web.archive.org/web/20121108070638/http://web.ysu.edu/gen/fpa/Department_Chair_m61.html *https://web.archive.org/web/20160304185805/http://web.ysu.edu/gen/fpa/Dr_Adam_Earnheardt_m190.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Earnheardt, Adam 1970 births Living people People from Killeen, Texas Clarion University of Pennsylvania alumni Kent State University alumni Roberts Wesleyan University alumni Youngstown State University faculty American textbook writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American male writers American male non-fiction writers American columnists Academics from Ohio Academics from Pennsylvania 21st-century American male writers