Kwame Agyemang, Ph.D.

George and Betty Blanda Endowed Professor in Sport Leadership, Director of the Future of Sport Institute (FoSI)

Dr. Kwame Agyemang is a Professor of Sport, Organizations, and Society and the George and Betty Blanda Endowed Professor in Sport Leadership. He has also served as a visiting scholar at several institutions, including the University of California, Davis Graduate School of Management, the Nova School of Business and Economics in Portugal, and Ashesi University in Ghana.

Since 2020, Dr. Agyemang has served as the Editor-in-Chief for Sport, Business and Management: An International Journal. He is also an editorial board member for the Journal of Sport Management and the Sociology of Sport Journal.

His current research examines innovation ecosystems as catalysts for social transformation, especially within fragmented and institutionally pluralistic settings. Drawing on empirical work in Africa’s sports sector, he studies how these communities build and evolve these ecosystems over time. His papers have appeared in leading peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Sport Management, Organization, Journal of Management Inquiry, European Sport Management Quarterly, Sport Management Review, and Journal of African American Studies, among others.

Upon joining the University of Kentucky, Dr. Agyemang launched the Future of Sport Institute (FoSI) to advance sport business education and support the development of purpose-driven industry leaders. FoSI reimagines the future of sport by accelerating innovation in how it is played, experienced, and led. He also serves as Program Faculty Chair for the Sport Leadership program, where he teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses.

Before joining the faculty at the University of Kentucky, Dr. Agyemang held academic appointments at The Ohio State University (2019–2023), Louisiana State University (2012–2019), and Eastern Kentucky University (2011–2012). He received his Ph.D. in Sport Management from Texas A&M University and both his M.Ed. (Higher Education Administration) and B.A. (political science) from the University of Oklahoma.