“Industry Intersections: The Business of Sports”
Ever wondered what a royalty accountant at Universal Music actually does all day? Or how a finance team calculates the ROI on a Super Bowl touchdown?
Our Gatton students are finding out firsthand.
“Sports are a perfect laboratory for economics: it provides tremendous amounts of data and real-world outcomes that allow us to test the models we teach. But what makes sports especially compelling to me is that it goes beyond the numbers—it brings communities together, creates joy and emotion, gives people an escape, and provides a shared experience in a way very few industries can. In Kentucky, you only must look at BBN to see that.” -Professor Darshak Patel
When Kim Bucci Shelton (’96 Marketing,’98 MBA) first stepped onto the pitch as a member of the inaugural University of Kentucky women’s soccer team in 1992, she wasn't just launching a collegiate program — she was pioneering a lifelong relationship with the university and the sports industry. Decades later, the Gatton College of Business and Economics alumna continues to be a power player in UK athletics, serving as the senior vice president of NIL strategy and executive director of UK NIL at JMI Sports.
1. Tell us about where you are from and how you ended up at the University of Kentucky.
The three honorees were recognized during the 35th annual Lyman T. Johnson Awards Luncheon, hosted by the UK Alumni Association's Lyman T. Johnson Alumni Constituency Group on Oct. 9 at the Gatton Student Center.
I grew up in London, Kentucky. My family bleeds blue for sure. My father and his brother were both graduates as well as both my brothers. My father loved the University and all it represents. While my brothers and I all spent at least one year at another University, we all longed to return to BBN.
