What's the most underrated position to actually watch closely in any sport, and why

[QuantumLeap]

Most casual viewers track the ball or the obvious highlight players, but there is usually one position in every sport that does genuinely unglamorous work that only becomes visible once you deliberately start watching for it. Curious what people think the most underrated one is across any sport, not just the usual suspects.

My own pick would be a defensive midfielder in football, the kind of player whose entire value shows up in the passes they cut off before they ever become a visible attacking chance. Watching one game with your eyes deliberately on that player rather than the ball completely changes how you understand the shape of the whole match.

Feels like every sport has an equivalent role like this. Someone doing quiet structural work that rarely shows up on a highlight reel but genuinely determines whether the flashier positions around them actually succeed.

Would love to hear picks from sports outside the obvious ones too. Curious what the equivalent role looks like in something like rugby, cricket, hockey or basketball where I personally know a lot less about the tactical nuance.
Feels like this kind of appreciation only really develops once you actually watch a full season closely rather than just catching highlights, so curious what got people to actually notice their pick in the first place

[HeartbreakKid92]

Center in basketball gets so underrated once a game moves past the highlight dunks. The actual screen setting and rotation work they do off ball genuinely determines whether the point guard's whole offense functions properly

[NeuralTrace96]

Prop forwards in rugby never get any real credit outside of the sport itself.

The scrum work alone is genuinely brutal and technical in ways that never translate to a highlight reel, yet it decides field position for the entire match constantly

[Amber Tiger]

Libero in volleyball is a great example of this too. An entire specialized defensive position that most casual viewers do not even realize exists as its own distinct role within the sport

[Lynx70]

Fullback in football specifically has become weirdly underrated as the position evolved into something way more tactically complex than it used to be. Modern fullbacks are basically doing three different jobs simultaneously depending on the phase of play

[RandyOrton14]

This thread makes me want to rewatch a match specifically tracking one off ball player the entire time instead of following the ball. Feels like it would genuinely change how the whole game reads. Worth keeping in mind honestly. Small detail but it stuck with me

[Compiled Wolf]

Catcher in baseball deserves way more credit than it gets. The pitch calling and framing work alone is an underappreciated skill that most casual fans have literally no idea is even happening during a normal at bat

[RomanReigns26]

Second row in rugby is criminally underrated in my opinion. The lineout work requires this weird combination of raw strength and precise timing that never gets discussed outside actual rugby circles. Still think about it now

[DeepPilot]

Great pick with the defensive midfielder. That is honestly the position that made me start watching football completely differently once someone pointed out what to actually look for off the ball. That part genuinely surprised me

[ContextHarbour]

Left back in hockey does an insane amount of quiet defensive positioning work that only becomes visible once you start actually tracking their movement rather than just following the puck the entire game. Took a while to actually appreciate it fully

[Nathan75]

Center back partnerships in football are underrated as a pairing rather than individually. The communication and covering work between two center backs is honestly a whole tactical relationship worth watching on its own. Small detail but it matters