Soccer forward. To be the best at the most popular sport in the world and to be the worlds most well-know athlete.
i.e. Messi
Chess. Good money if you’re at the top, and even less physical than golf.
The International Olympic Committee recognizes it as a sport, so I don’t want to hear any whining.
Golf all the way. When you get too old, they change the rules and shorten the courses with no cuts. If I’m the best - I’ll only be out there for four days a week - maybe 18/20 tournaments/weeks a year. Endorsements, corporate gigs, private lessons; more money than the “tour grind”. You don’t even have to carry your own tools. Hob nob with the greats in other sports. Beautiful/manicured conditions. World first class travel / private jet. If it rains, you don’t have to play. No defense. It’s quiet - except for the one idiot hired to shout “in the hole”. I would have my caddie break his legs.
It was always my dream as a boy to be the best second baseman ever, playing for the Cleveland Indians, and to lead the league and have lifetime records in triples and stolen bases. It would be nice to execute and unassisted triple play as well – might as well make that in a World Series game. The only unassisted triple play in World Series history was done by a second baseman, Bill Wambganss for the Cleveland Indians though I’m not old enough to know about it first hand – nor in fact is my mother.
CEO of The Formula One Group. I’ll take over for Bernie and do a better job. Hey, its a “sports position”! 
If only Asdrubal Cabrera had been given the opportunity…
It sort of depends what is meant by “world’s best.” For example, if I chose football quarterback, does being the “world’s best” mean I have superlative Wilson-like scrambling ability that would keep me upright and healthy?
From a former top-5 quiddich player* these teams have NO IDEA what to do with their beaters and have no regard for the space behind the goals. How they got to the championship is beyond me
*ok maybe not me necessarily, but during my time my school was ranked as high as 5th
NFL place kicker. The top kicker is at 4.5mil a year. For football it’s remarkably non-contact so there’s less chance of injury ending a career or causing life long injuries than even a lot of non-contact sports. If I’m that good I can have a long career and retire comfortably never having to work again at even reasonable savings rates.
That might help mitigate the injury risk somewhat, but even the most mobile and elusive QBs still absorb plenty of brutal sacks and collisions anyway.
As much as I would like to be the best Golfer, I think it does not meet the spirit of the OP as it is a not a “position”, like a Goalie, or Quarterback or Pitcher.
I think I would choose a Starting Pitcher.
Definitely attacking midfielder in football. If you’re the best there, you’re the best of all the world of all sports.
Outside the US, the % of people who have even heard the name “Tom Brady” drops very quickly to 0.
I pick this as well. And I’m left handed.
I fantasize about being the short-stop, because they do all the awesome diving and quick catching and quick throwing and such, but research shows that the only one to ever really make a lot of money was Derek Jeter.
I suppose I could play 1B, be like Albert Pujols. But I would definitely be a non-pitching baseball player. I wanna crush the ball and field like a boss. Technically, if you’re not playing as pitcher, wouldn’t this magical promotion instantly make us the ultimate hitter as well as the ultimate fielder?
I would go for golfer for the same reasons given by others.
I say this having never played golf in my entire life - so maybe I could have been the world’s best golfer, but never tried…
Who needs the PGA? Enter local qualifying for the US Open. Win the US Open. That gives you entries into the other majors. Four weekends a year, about $7 million a year in prize money (when you win them all every year), and about $100 million a year in endorsements (that’s about what Tiger got at his peak).
Evidently you have never heard of Alex Rodriguez, the guy who signed the first-ever $250 million contract. At the time he blew away the old record for the highest baseball salary ever by a wide margin. Rodriguez has, largely as a result of that deal, been the highest-salaried player in the history of North American pro sports.
He became a third baseman later in that huge contract; when he signed the deal he was the best shortstop in generations.
If someone was clearly the *best shortstop ever *- which would make them significantly better than Alex Rodriguez, who was great but not as good, really, as Honus Wagner - they would be one of the five best baseball players to ever live. A player of that value would command $30-$35 million a year.
Not knowing enough about baseball: I thought that A-rod was signed to such a huge contract because of his hitting potential. I didn’t know he was that good at shortstop.
Isn’t shortstop one of those “doesn’t have to be a good hitter but has to be a great fielder” kind of positions? I’m assuming if A-rod was good at both that’s what made him so much money
Everyone has to hit. Teams are likelier to sacrifice some offense for a glove at shortstop, and that’s why great all-around shortstops can get paid huge bucks, but very few championship teams have shortstops who are *bad *hitters. When people say “the best shortstop in baseball” that usually means the complete package - what the player does as a hitter, fielder, and baserunner.
Rodriguez is certainly a greater hitter than he was a fielder, but in his prime he was a very good fielder indeed.
I think generally, when you get to the big league level, you can’t have any particular deficiency. If you are a great fielder but poor batter, you may find yourself competing for a roster against dozens of players who are great fielders *and *great batters.