Here Are The Three Hardest Positions To Play In American Sports, And Why Quarterback Isn't No. 1

Most of us played some form of sports growing up. Some of us were probably good at certain positions in that sport (I was a stellar first baseman for my high school’s freshman baseball team if I do say so myself). 

At some point in our athletic careers, we probably considered trying to play a certain difficult position in a sport. For me, that came in the form of wanting to play center for my varsity basketball team, but I realized I wasn’t cut out for it.

That got me thinking: if it’s hard to play center at the high school basketball level, there must be other positions that are even harder, especially as you get to the professional level. Then I thought, "What are the hardest positions to play in any given sport in American sports?"

This late Friday afternoon musing produced the list you will see below. After thinking about all the professional American sports in existence and all the various positions therein, I have ranked the three most difficult to play.

Got any takes of your own you want to share? Let’s hear ‘em: john.simmons@outkick.com .

Hockey goalies are tasked with stopping pucks from entering a 4-foot by 6-foot net. While that job description is simple enough, the art of doing so is anything but.

Goalies wear protective gear that can weigh anywhere from 40-50 pounds altogether, from leg pads to masks to blockers. Wearing that much extra stuff is hard enough, but imagine having to do it on skates.

Guys like New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) are some of the most flexible and talented athletes on the planet. Photo: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

To make matters worse, goalies have to do it performing the most unnatural lower-body movements imaginable. Having anything less than