The Most Thankless and Pressure-Packed Positions in Sports
Have you ever been assigned to do a job that if you completed it properly, your efforts wouldn't generate much praise? However, if you screwed it up, you'd get dragged through the mud because of your failure.
If you have or had a job like that, then you know what it's like to have a pressure-packed but thankless role.
These roles exist throughout the sports world. Various athletes, people in the front office and those on the sidelines have to succeed to simply remain employed. If they fail, they will likely lose their jobs quicker than Usain Bolt can run the 40-yard dash.
The following 10 roles epitomize the concept.
Kicker in the NFL
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Many in the football community hate kickers. It's really quite ridiculous. Skip Bayless of ESPN's First Take sounded off on the position and the players who play it in a rant from January 2016 (video from Breitbart.com).
Yeah, they are usually smaller guys who are rarely involved in the physicality of the sport. They're often stereotyped as flaky and flighty people; but everyone loves them when they split the uprights with a game-winning field goal.
Here's the thing: The love only lasts about 15 minutes.
When the headlines are written about the winning moments of the game, the player who'll likely get the glory is the quarterback who led the drive that set up the field goal.
What happens to a kicker when he misses a big kick? Ask Scott Norwood, Gary Anderson and, most recently, the Minnesota Vikings' Blair Walsh.
LeBron James' Head Coach
2 of 10
With all due respect to two-time and reigning NBA MVP Stephen Curry, the Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James is still the game's best all-around player. As amazing as Curry is offensively, his team still looks to somewhat hide him on defense. James' athleticism and basketball IQ make him the centerpiece of the Cavs defense, but that's a debate for another slideshow.
James is also the most powerful and influential player in the league. He's also impatient when it comes to winning.
James' talent, power and impatience make him tough to coach. Because he's so good, there's a tendency to allow him to do too much on the floor and in the way of leadership. When it works, everyone's fine. However, when it doesn't, the person in line for termination is the head coach.
In the 2010-11 season, when the Miami Heat failed to win an NBA championship in the first year of the James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh assembly, there were whispers about head coach Erik Spoelstra losing his job.
In January 2016, Cleveland Cavaliers head coach David Blatt heard more than whispers. Despite the Cavs owning an Eastern Conference-best 30-11 record, Blatt was canned.
His assistant, Tyronn Lue, replaced him. The Cavs rolled through the first two rounds of the playoffs and appear to be clicking, but what happens if they stumble under Lue?
Will the leash be as short?
New England Patriots' 2016 Backup Quarterback Role
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Jimmy Garoppolo will be in one heck of a situation when the 2016 NFL season begins. As most know, barring some unexpected loophole, Tom Brady is suspended for the first four games of the NFL season.
Garoppolo will be the man under center for the New England Patriots during Brady's absence. The 24-year-old has thrown a total of 31 passes in two seasons as Brady's backup, but now he'll be charged with holding down the fort until the future Hall of Famer returns.
If he fails and the Pats begin the season 1-3—or 0-4—Garoppolo will hear it from Pats fans and national media about his failure to keep the team afloat.
If he does well and the team is 2-2 or better, he'll have done his job. However, if Brady returns and guides the team to another Super Bowl, don't expect Garoppolo to get a ton of credit for his leadership.
All the talk will be about how Brady shook off the suspension and added yet another chapter to his storybook career.
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Jon Lester's Catcher
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Jon Lester is one of the better pitchers in the National League. After a so-so 2015 season that saw him go 11-12 with a 3.34 ERA and 1.12 WHIP, Lester has been much sharper in 2016.
He's 4-2 with an ERA of 1.88, and his WHIP is 0.97.
Everything isn't rosy for the Chicago Cubs' high-priced hurler. Lester has documented difficulties throwing the ball to first base. To compensate for Lester's perplexing problem, Chicago Cubs catchers have to work hard to hold runners on first and throw out would-be base stealers.
David Ross is Lester's personal catcher, so he's often the man saddled with the extra task.
Ross has thrown out three of seven opponents attempting to steal, and he's picked a runner off first base with Lester on the mound. However, if Lester continues to pitch the way he has thus far this season, you won't hear Ross' name much during the praise for the big lefty.
If Ross doesn't help control Lester's baserunners, there's no telling what his numbers would look like.
Hitting Behind Bryce Harper
5 of 10
In a four-game series against the Chicago Cubs earlier this season, the Washington Nationals slugger and reigning National League MVP walked 13 times. Cubs manager Joe Maddon made it clear he was not going to allow Harper's bat to beat him in crucial situations.
The strategy must have worked because the Cubs swept the series. Many have opinions about this approach, but one has to ask: What is the guy hitting behind Harper doing to deter teams from pitching around the MVP?
That man is Ryan Zimmerman, and in the aforementioned series, he was 2-for-19 with three RBI. Everyone who takes issue with the Cubs' strategy should immediately redirect that contempt for Zimmerman. If he hits, the Cubs will not continue to put runners on base in front of him.
That said, if he does begin to hit and then pitchers are forced to go at Harper, chances are Bam Bam reminds them why they were pitching around him in the first place.
Where does that leave Zimmerman?
Hitting with the bases empty at least 40-plus times. He essentially has to do his job so that the guy ahead of him can get a shot to drive in more runs. That will then prevent Zimmerman from putting up the types of numbers that would bring him any praise.
This baseball is a funny game.
Commissioner of a Major Sports League
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Fans are seemingly conditioned to hold disdain for the commissioners of major sports leagues. It's the fight-the-man mentality. Rarely will you ever hear any praise for the works that any of the commissioners perform.
Some such as the NFL's Roger Goodell make it a little easier to bash them, but when you think about it, not many people appreciated Paul Tagliabue when he was the man on the football hot seat.
The NBA's Adam Silver appears to be favorably viewed, but questions have to be raised about the league's insistence on reporting its officials' missteps. Does it really make fans feel any better when the league office acknowledges the officials made a bad call?
Nope—it's just more fodder for the critics.
Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred is a delightful guy to listen to in interviews, but why in the world does the All-Star Game still dictate home-field advantage in the World Series?
Whether we admit it or not, some good things have happened on all of these guys' watches, but what sticks out most is their errors.
Member of the Chicago Bulls' Training Staff
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Over the last five seasons, Chicago Bulls players have missed an average of 183 games per season due to injury. Derrick Rose's myriad knee problems are responsible for a good chunk of those absences, but he's not alone in street clothes.
Luol Deng (now on the Miami Heat), Jimmy Butler, Joakim Noah, Mike Dunleavy and others have all missed their share of time.
Imagine what it's like to be part of the team's training staff. With such a litany of injuries plaguing the franchise for years, at some point, blame has to fall on the people paid to preserve and rehabilitate the athletes' bodies.
It should come as no surprise that the Bulls fired Jen Swanson, their director of sports performance, per K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Swanson was known as a confidant of Rose, and she oversaw the Bulls' strength and conditioning program.
If injuries decrease under the person who succeeds Swanson, there might be light whispers about the team's good run of health. However, no one outside of hardcore Bulls fans will know his or her name.
Peyton Manning's Offensive Coordinator
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OK, Peyton Manning is retired, but this list wouldn't be complete without including the men who worked as offensive coordinators for the future Hall of Famer.
Manning is known for his genius football IQ, ability to diagnose plays at the line of scrimmage and to virtually call his own game under center. Because of those abilities, the offensive coordinators Manning had didn't always receive the credit they probably deserved.
Take Manning's most recent situation with the Denver Broncos for example. In 2013 and 2014, Manning had stellar seasons leading the team to the postseason and putting up All-Pro numbers in the process.
His offensive coordinator at the time was Adam Gase. Most knew Gase was an up-and-coming coaching prospect, but there were doubts as to whether the Broncos offense was performing so well because of him, Manning or a combination of the two.
Gase followed head coach John Fox to the Chicago Bears sidelines to take on the Jay Cutler project. In 2015, Cutler had the highest passer rating of his career and the second-highest completion rate. Having proved himself outside of Manning's Hall of Fame shadow, Gase earned the Miami Dolphins' head coaching job.
Meanwhile, Manning struggled to the worst statistical regular season of his career with Rick Dennison as the offensive coordinator. The team ultimately won the Super Bowl because of its defense, but some criticized Dennison as the offense sputtered through the regular season.
If Manning had a typical season by his standards, folks would have said: "It doesn't matter who the offensive coordinator is—Manning is just great." Obviously, injuries and age were factors in his decline, but there will always be those who feel Dennison's system made Manning's final season worse.
Best WNBA Player
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Diana Taurasi is the best player in the WNBA. You might get an argument from Brittney Griner and Elena Delle Donne fans, but Taurasi's combination of skills and accomplishments are hard to beat.
Her off-the-dribble game as a passer and scorer are second to none. She's a leader who plays unselfishly. Her 2009 MVP, seven All-Star appearances and three WNBA championships back up an argument that she's the GOAT.
Here's a question: How many hoops fans know Taurasi? Could they tell you who she plays for, her age or what college she came from?
The Phoenix Mercury star is used to winning. She built that foundation winning three national championships with the Connecticut Huskies. The 33-year-old has been in the WNBA since 2004, but she's not a household name.
Taurasi shoulders the pressure of carrying her part of an organization and her league, but because many don't respect and/or pay attention to the WNBA, her greatness isn't properly recognized.
NFL Offensive Linemen
10 of 10
Their numbers aren't cool; who wants to wear Nos. 50-79?
They often have the least flattering figures of any player on the roster, but when NFL offensive linemen don't play well, it's hard for their teams to win.
Star quarterbacks and running backs get smothered before they can show their brilliance, and flamboyant wide receivers have tantrums on the sidelines because they can't get passes thrown their way.
When the offensive line plays well, offenses set records—and guess who gets the majority of the credit for that?
The quarterbacks and running backs.
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