The Top 5 Hardest Positions to Play In Sports
If you are reading this article, I am going to assume you’ve sat down and watched a few sports games in your life. Have you ever been sitting at home watching a game either with your dad, or someone else you might know, or even by yourself. Then a player on the field makes a mistake and you or your dad shouts, “How did they mess that up? I could have done that easily!”
I can probably assume most of us who watch sports probably played a sport or two at one time and have had the guilty thought your athletic ability is that up to par with a professional. To that, I say there’s a reason you are watching the game on the couch eating chips and chocolate and they are out on the field on tv playing in front of millions of people. But these amazing athletes can do incredible and amazing athletic things, and make them look routine. Almost frustratingly easy at times. Trust me, if you go out and try to do any of them as an “average Joe” you will look like a fool.
This list is not a top 5 hardest sports list, however it is the top 5 hardest positions to play across all of sports. These will be ranked based off the athletic ability, significance of the position and strong mental focus players need to have to be able to achieve success in their sports. Let me know in the comments if you agree or think I missed anything in this list. So lets dive in at number 5.
5). MLB Relief/Closing Pitcher
Coming it at number 5, being a relief pitcher is one of the most high pressure jobs in the entire sports world. While the starting pitchers get most of the glory in the pitching world, the bullpen is where many games are won and lost in baseball. As a relief pitcher, you pitch multiple times per week and are expected to produce from the very first pitch, every single time, no matter the circumstances. You are put into the most high pressure situation of a game every time you go out on the field, and usually, you are going to face one of the best hitters in the opposing teams lineup. There are very few people in this world who not only have the ability to pitch at an MLB level, but also be able to handle the pressure of having to be the best every time you step between the lines. If you did well, good job, you did what you were supposed to and if you mess up, its almost always the highlight of why the team lost.
4). Soccer Goalkeeper
Another one of the extremely high pressure jobs on this list. The Goalkeeper comes at 4, but don’t let that fool you with how incredibly difficult being a Goalie is. The goal that they need to protect has a very large amount of surface area at 24ft long and 8ft high. Meanwhile they have a ball coming at them on average of 70 mph and put their body on the line to keep it from going into the back of the net. You also need to have an extremely high iQ of the game as you are a leader on the defensive side of the ball. As a goalie you can see the entire field every moment of the game. You need to be able to not only focus on your positioning, but also be able to clearly communicate to your defensemen what they need to do in order to stop the opponents offense.
3). MLB Catcher
Imagine trying to catch a ball coming at you at 95mph while someone is swinging a bat right in front of your vision, then on top of that seeing through a mask, and you have to make it look as easy as possible. Now do that almost 200 times per game for 2.5 hours straight. Not to mention some balls move up to 2 feet that start a foot to the left of you and end up in the ground at ridiculously high speeds. While this position in my opinion is not only one of the toughest things to do in sports period, you also have to be probably the smartest person not only on the field, but maybe in the stands too. All this while taking baseballs to the chest, face, neck and legs all game long. These guys are warriors.
The most demanding part of this job, aside from the physical beatdown you get every single game, is being the leader of the entire field. You are the one that is typically calling the pitches of the game, and you are directing the fielders where to go with the ball at the same time. Kind of like a goalie. This job has only one other position in the sports world that has such a high physical demand while also being incredibly mentally demanding which leads to my number 2 spot being…
2). NFL Quarterback
I think Netflix’s series ‘Quarterback’ and Peyton Manning did an extraordinary job showing the world that being an NFL QB is the hardest position to play in sports. Much like the catcher position, the quarterback is the leader on the field. They direct the players where to go and have to memorize every single play in their playbook which can be hundreds of different types of plays.
To succeed as a quarterback, you must be able to handle a great deal of adversity. You are going to mess up, especially while everyone is watching your next move. Goldfish memory as they say. You have to stay calm and collected when the biggest, fastest and strongest guys in the world rush at you full speed and be able to throw a ball 40 yards over 11 guys all trying to either get you or the ball. They say every football game you play is like getting hit by a car going 30mph. So you need to be able to reset your body and mind within 6 or sometimes 3 days to be able to perform at your best for up to 22 weeks straight. Not many people have the mental will power to be able to do that.
1). PGA tour Golfer
While there is no position technically in golf, it is by far the hardest thing to do in Sports. Hitting something as small as the size of a golf ball, from up to 600 yards away into a tiny little cup is the hardest thing to do in sports. Period. Becoming a PGA tour card player is an extremely rare feat that could be the most challenging road to become professional in a sport as well. Only about 2–5% of all golfers will ever break a score of 80. While the pros now are shooting in the low 60’s. The ironic part about golf is the old saying “drive for show, putt for doe”. Meaning the hardest part about the game is actually the closer you get to the hole. What kind of sick joke is that?
Honorable mention: NHL hockey goalie
I know this is a tough position to lead out of the list so I definitely wanted to give these guys a shoutout. The hand-eye coordination to block pucks coming at them 120 mph is nothing but extraordinary. Not only that but balancing on skates and being extremely flexible as well. These guys are incredible athletes and are modern day gladiators.
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed. This is just a personal list based off of what I believe constitutes the toughest position in sports.