Most Dangerous Positions in Sports

It has happened to all of us. You're playing the sport you adore and suddenly, a quick thought of doubt flashes before your very eyes - the thought of never being able to play again. With this cloud of doubt trapped in your mind, your next move is carefully thought through, causing unforeseen flaws in your gameplay; you think to yourself, "This is not how I play." Well, that's a sign that the threat of danger has taken control, making you think twice about the next move.

In sports, danger constantly lurks, whether it's an injury that may put you on the sidelines for a few weeks or even worse, for good. Surely, every athlete has heard the saying: "Play like it's your last game." However, no other athletes from the five major sports have said this more than the players in the following positions:

Football: Kick Returner

 Imagine having 11 football players running at you at full speed, and their sole focus is to tackle the snot out of you. Sounds kind of like the hundreds of thousands of Persians attacking the 300 Spartans, am I right?

Don't believe me, just ask former Titans RB Chris Henry during this 2007 game against the Colts. Hold on to your helmets for this hit:

    

Basketball: The guy being dunked on

You don't want to be that guy that is situated right in front of the basketball hoop, especially when you see a player in your path that has the capability of endangering your career. Unfortunately, Pistons PG Brandon Knight experienced just that the other night against Lob City: 

Hockey: Goaltender 

You have to be nuts to be a goaltender in hockey. These guys fear nothing, even when a 100 mph slap shot is fired their way; it is casual for them to get in front of the puck's way and block/deflect it out so it doesn't go into the net.  These guys are the ones who should be saying "NBD" (No big deal), and then brush the dust off their shoulders.

Calgary Flames goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff took a slap shot to the face, which knocked the mask off of his head. No complains there from Kiprusoff as he grabbed his helmet and went back to work:

Baseball: Catcher

Being in a kneeling position for a long period of time is quite uncomfortable, and may I say, stressful on the knees. That is not the only thing stressful about the catcher position in baseball; they have to worry about high-speed pitches zooming straight at them as well as runners sprinting in from third base, looking to nail a good lick on the catcher as he/she concentrates on catching and holding onto the ball to tag the runner out at home plate. 

Here's a segment from the "The Franchise: A Season With the San Francisco Giants" when catcher Buster Posey was involved in a scary collision:   

Soccer: Goalkeeper

To be a goalkeeper in soccer, you have to fear not of the ball ricocheting off your face, or ribs or dare I say, the nads. As the lion from "The Wizard of Oz" learned, being brave is a necessity. Scenarios such as a 50/50 ball between a forward and a goalkeeper are won through sacrifices to the body like diving at the legs of a forward to retrieve the ball at all means. 

Watch this studs up sliding tackle USA goalkeeper Tim Howard absorbs against England during the 2010 World Cup:

    

Manchester United's Card to Remember

Was it or was it not deserving of a red card? That is the question many are bantering about this week in the soccer world. Yesterday, during the 57th minute of a UEFA Champions League Round of 16 match between Manchester United and Real Madrid at Old Trafford in England, United midfielder Nani attempted to bring down a ball that resulted in a waist-high challenge on Madrid defender Alvaro Arbeloa. Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir chose to give Nani a straight red card. The complexion of the game changed after the booking, as the Red Devils' 1-0 lead turned into a 2-1 defeat and elimination from Champions League play.

In my opinion, Nani should have never received a red card for his action. Nani's only intention on that particular play was to trap the ball; he didn't even notice the lurking Real Madrid defender. As a soccer player, when the ball is in the air like that, there is an instinct to either flick the ball on with the head, use the chest to bring it down or raise the foot high enough to the point where it's not endangering the opponent's upper body. The Portugese midfielder (Nani) chose to raise his foot, which I agree with, since the ball was too far for it to be either flicked on from a header or brought down with the chest. Yes, his boot was in the air, but like I said before, the intention was the ball first, not the man. What do you think? United coach Sir Alex Ferguson sure showed his fury. Check it out for yourself:

Now, hear from a United fan's perspective: (his reaction may contain some language not suitable for the youngsters...just saying)

However, Roy Keane and company had some compelling arguments about the call and were actually in favor of the Turkish referee - that he indeed had made the right decision.