The Hardest Positions to Play in Sports, Ranked

On a recent episode of the newly-renovated Undisputed Live, Richard Sherman, Keyshawn Johnson and Michael Irvin got into a passionate debate about the difficulty of the cornerback position compared to the wide receiver position. Sherman, a former All-Pro corner, obviously sided with the cornerback position while to the two legendary receivers begged to differ. The conversation had us thinking: What are the hardest positions in sports?  

While many might say quarterback is the most difficult position in football, Sherman may actually have a point stating cornerback provides the toughest test in the sport. With the level of athletes at the receiver position and with the corner's objective being to mirror those elite athletes, it makes sense. Beyond football, you have to consider sports like baseball that are fully based on skill and nothing else. From batting to pitching to catching, nothing is easy in that sport and based off physical attributes solely. 

We curated a list of the hardest positions to play in sports among the most popular sports in America. We did not factor in individual sports like tennis and golf as there are no specific positions for those sports. In addition to that we left out the likes of cricket, water polo, and other sports that aren't as dominant in America. With that being said, here are the hardest positions to play in sports, ranked. 

Often the smallest player on the court in a game dominated by giants, the point guard usually bears the most responsibility on the team as far as making sure everybody is on the same page and that the offense runs smoothly. And due to the lack of size that a small forward or a big man has, the point guard more times than not has to be the smartest and most skilled player on the floor to make up for their physical limitations. Now, there are exceptions to the rule such as Russell Westbrook or prime Derrick Rose, who boasted elite physical traits and athleticism, but for guys such as Trae Young, Chris Paul, and Jalen Brunson it’s the IQ and skill set that allows them to be elite NBA players while often being the smallest player on the floor. 

Left tackle doesn't get enough respect for its difficulty. It's not a flashy position and the person playing the position will never get the headlines but it's key to a great offense. You have to deal with 6-foot-6, 265-pound athletes who run a 4.5-4.8 40-yard dash and possess elite strength. They have the talent to beat with you speed and power. With today's game being pass heavy, they're charging at you more than you're charging at them. While the quarterback is the most important position on the field, the left tackle's role ranks second in important as its job is to protect the QB's blind slide. 

When factoring the pressure and expectations that come with playing quarterback in the NFL, that would be enough for the position to warrant inclusion on the list. But then adding into consideration that there are only 32 starting jobs in the world, and of those 32, only 10 players may be truly elite, you start to understand why this position is so hard to play. Being able to deliver accurate passes to moving targets who also aren’t completely open on a consistent basis is not easy to do. Then there is the possibility of a 300-pound pass rusher closing in on you at full speed and it gets even harder to complete those passes.’ There's also the IQ side of the game where quarterbacks have to memorize playbooks and plays for not only themselves but their teammates at other positions as well. 

Without a doubt, a hockey goalie is one of the hardest position in sports because the shots are coming at full speed, sometimes 100 MPH, at an extremely close range. Reaction time is even faster than baseball. In hockey, if you let the puck get past you even more than 10 percent of the time, you will be replaced. Not to mention, there could be games with 30 shots attempted at you. You also have to factor in there are players trying to obstruct you whereas a soccer goalie has more time and space to make reads and judge the ball more often than not. 

A soccer goal is 24 feet wide, eight feet tall, and five feet deep. That leaves little room for error when a goalkeeper is trying to impede an opponent from putting the ball in the back of the net. Sometimes it takes the fingertips of the glove to make a save especially when a ball is perfectly placed. Don't even get us started on penalty kicks. That's essentially a guessing game and even if you do guess in the right direction, there's no guarantee you'll get the save. 

No matter what circumstances, a relief pitcher must be ready to produce and deliver at all times. Whether it is nursing a one-run lead, keeping the game within reach after the starting pitcher handed the ball over to you with multiple runners on base and a game in the balance, or nursing a comfortable lead, there is always pressure. In fact, it could be argued that this might be the most pressure-packed position in all of sports considering that one bad pitch or inning of work could be the difference between your team advancing or being eliminated from the postseason. You don’t want to be the reason the season or individual game goes off the rails. You also have to factor that pitching is a skill-based so 

NFL players are amongst the most athletic humans in the world, with wide receivers ranking in the top tier in terms of athleticism. It should be no surprise that cornerback is considered one of the hardest positions in all of professional sports. A defensive back is mirroring the movements of somebody running at them full speed and stopping on a dime and cutting, having to keep pace with them and not allow them to get open or make a play. They have to go backwards all game to make progress. And they have to do it on an island. You also have to factor in that with the rules in today's game, they have to make minimal contact with the receiver to avoid a penalty. 

Baseball requires the most skill out of all sports. It truly doesn't matter how tall or athletic you are if you're skill is not up to par. It's the one sport where the most athletic person on the field could still be the worst. The catching position is by far the hardest position in sports. Catchers have to squat for nine innings trying to catch baseballs that range from 75 MPH with high spin and movement to pitches to 103 MPH with movement as well. Not only that, there's a mental and strategic aspect to catching as well as catchers usually help determine what pitch should be thrown next. They also have to turn around and hit those aforementioned pitches as well which is a difficult job in itself.