Q & A with UK sport psychologist Marc Cormier: How student-athletes handle high-pressure situations

It’s basketball fans’ favorite time of year — March Madness. Whether it is the love of basketball, or the thrill of competition, every fan is rooting on a favorite team.What does it take to win it all? Marc Cormier, director of the Sport and Exercise Psychology graduate program housed in the University of Kentucky College of Education Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion, and director of Counseling and Sport Psychology Services in UK Athletics, recently explained to UKNow how student-athletes handle high-pressure situations.

Sure Bet: UNLV Expert on the Past, Present, and Future of Legalized Sports Wagering

For many fans, sports betting is most associated with the glare of television screens broadcasting every sporting event imaginable in a glitzy casino in Las Vegas — for decades, one of the only places in the U.S. where spectators could legally place wagers. But today, we’re not alone: Since 2018, federal law changes have prompted 36 states to join Nevada in legalizing bets on some of America’s favorite pastimes, and another three could get in the game this year.