UK students turn college sports research into career-ready experience

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 16, 2026) — Cameron Carnegie did not expect research to become one of the most interesting parts of preparing for his future career in sports. That changed when he took a research and insights course at the University of Kentucky. 

In the course, taught by UK Future of Sport Institute Director Kwame Agyemang, Ph.D., sport leadership undergraduates partnered with the institute to produce a research-based brief examining how revenue 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,” said Agyemang, the George and Betty Blanda Endowed Professor in Sport Leadership in the UK College of Education Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion.   

For Carnegie, the most valuable part was practicing new interviewing skills while contacting college athletics professionals for the project.  

“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,” said Carnegie, a senior majoring in sport leadership. “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 leadership major Sophie Bellovin said the experience changed 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 said. “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 brief the students developed was published 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 said.  

In a competitive industry, Agyemang said applied learning helps students stand out because they can point to a finished product, explain their process and describe their specific contributions.  

“In their future roles, they will be expected to justify decisions, not just have opinions,” Agyemang said. “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 project also highlights how UK connects classroom learning with Kentucky’s strong sports traditions and opportunities. 

“There’s no place in the country better situated to guide the next generation of leaders across the sports industry,” said 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 said the course showed him how enjoyable research can be and that the hands-on approach helped the content truly stick with him. 

“College sports is a field that is always changing and one I hope to work in,” he said. “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.”