If you could be a professional athlete......

Major-league closer. Sit and do nothing for seven innings, warm up in the eighth, shut 'em down in the 9th, pound the ol' Budweiser.

 

a MLB relief pitcher. My entrance music would be "Hold On, I'm Coming" by Sam and Dave, or Blondie's "Call Me". I'd be a sidearm pitcher with a big, breaking curve or a sinker. My signature move would be to point to teammates when they made an out, even routine plays.

Second choice would be an NHL goaltender, a backup goalie to a great goalie who would lead the team to several Stanley Cups, but I would play about 25 games a year. The New Jersey Devils, Montreal Canadians, or Columbus Blue Jackets would be my top three choices - I want to play somewhere where there is winter weather.

 

I'd have to go with mediocre catcher-turned-bullpen catcher or 3rd string QB.

 

Wilt Chamberlain, and not for the basketball or volleyball.

 

I'd love to be a basketball player - specifically, a 3-point specialist.
As long as I've loved the sport, to me there's something special about being a very good 3-point shooter. I'd love to be able to go on the floor and know the defense can't come off me to help double down on a big scorer in the paint, or give up a basket to me as a result.
Second would be a tennis player. There would be something really cool about being able to play at the major sites - especially the U.S. Open and Wimbledon.

 

Myself ;D. Just wish Harry Ornest would've shown me the money instead of Hartford.

 

PGA Tour.

Win 1 tournament, and you're set.

 

But it's the journey to that 1 win that can kill ya.

 

I guess you don't take into account the cost to win one tournament

 

Every endeavor has a cost associated with it.

I was really thinking along the lines of "What would you like to DO?" Not "how much money can you make for how little work/sacrifice?"

 

F1 racer if the criteria is personal desires.

If you're asking what pro sports gig makes the most financial sense, has the most perks, and least amount of pain -- I'd probably ask to be a great FT-shooting 7'0 center in the NBA. Someone like this guy, who somehow managed to put $22.3 million in the bank:

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/perduwi01.html