LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 16, 2026) — Cameron Carnegie didn’t anticipate research to turn into some of the fascinating elements of making ready for his future profession in sports. That modified when he took a research and insights course on the University of Kentucky.
In the course, taught by UK Future of Sport Institute Director Kwame Agyemang, Ph.D., sport management undergraduates partnered with the institute to provide a research-based brief analyzing how income sharing is reshaping college sports following the House v. NCAA settlement.
“I wanted the students to experience what research actually looks like in the sport industry. We even used familiar sports debates in class to show that strong opinions are everywhere and that evidence helps move the conversation forward,” mentioned Agyemang, the George and Betty Blanda Endowed Professor in Sport Leadership within the UK College of Education Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion.
For Carnegie, essentially the most useful half was training new interviewing expertise whereas contacting college athletics professionals for the mission.
“While I had done interviews prior to this course, none of them particularly focused on gaining valuable insights, let alone what to do with them once you have them,” mentioned Carnegie, a senior majoring in sport management. “Rather than just repeating the information I got from the interviewee, I learned how to compile insights, taking observations and information from the interview to make deeper interpretations.”
Sophomore sport management main Sophie Bellovin mentioned the experience modified her perspective on research.
“It has shown me how important it is to ask thoughtful questions and look deeper into the impact NIL has on athletes beyond just the financial side,” Bellovin mentioned. “The most valuable part of working on this project was interviewing sport leaders who gave us insightful details about their perspectives and what they do for college athletics.”
The insights transient the students developed was printed by the UK Future of Sport Institute.
“I wanted the course to produce something tangible they could walk into interviews with and speak with credibility about what they’ve done and what they learned,” Agyemang mentioned.
In a aggressive business, Agyemang mentioned utilized studying helps students stand out as a result of they’ll level to a completed product, clarify their course of and describe their particular contributions.
“In their future roles, they will be expected to justify decisions, not just have opinions,” Agyemang mentioned. “Data is everywhere in sport. Organizations are constantly trying to understand what fans want, what athletes need and which decisions are truly best for the game.”
The mission additionally highlights how UK connects classroom studying with Kentucky’s sturdy sports traditions and alternatives.
“There’s no place in the country better situated to guide the next generation of leaders across the sports industry,” mentioned UK College of Education Dean Nick Pace, Ph.D. “When you combine our expert faculty with passionate students, UK’s iconic history in Division I athletics, the horse industry and outdoor landscape in Kentucky, our students are prepared to launch exciting careers.”
Carnegie mentioned the course confirmed him how pleasing research can be and that the hands-on strategy helped the content material really keep on with him.
“College sports is a field that is always changing and one I hope to work in,” he mentioned. “Prior to taking this class, I would have emphatically stated that research was not something I was interested in or saw fitting in my career. I found that not only can research be interesting but it’s potentially something I look to pursue later in life.”