It isn't enough that the Yankees are, well, the Yankees of baseball (the winningest franchise in the sport's history). Managing the Yanks also means being the focus of the critical New York City tabloids and having the Steinbrenner family as your bosses. It takes a certain breed to be able to handle the expectations of a demanding owner and equally demanding fans. It's not as though whomever is the Yanks' skipper doesn't have a lot of talent (and money) to work with, but that only increases the expectations and pressure.

Much like all Alabama football coaches after Bear Bryant, UK basketball coaches are judged by the standards set by Adolph Rupp, who won 876 games and four national titles in 42 years with the Wildcats. It's much harder to win consistently these days, but don't try telling that to Kentucky fans. Only Rick Pitino (pictured) has truly made them happy, but he's now coaching across the state in Louisville, which only makes things tougher. Just ask Tubby Smith and Billy Gillispie. The latest to give it a shot in Lexington? John Calipari, who is still in search of his first national title at any school.

When descriptions of your school are regularly peppered with terms like "storied" and "legendary" and "rich tradition," (not to mention the Four Horsemen and the Gipper and Rockne), well, you better win. The pressure only increases if you're given a lucrative, long-term contract, a la former coach Charlie Weis, and then your team stinks up the joint for a couple seasons. Brian Kelly is in charge now, but the pressure hasn't eased up — the results haven't gotten better either though.

High expectations are part of the job when you coach America's Team, and owner Jerry Jones (pictured) — known for his hands-on approach — is monitoring your every move. Just ask Wade Phillips, who felt the heat when Dallas failed to make the playoffs in 2010 after being picked for the Super Bowl. Jones didn't hesitate to get rid of the legendary and much-loved Tom Landry, the Cowboys' original (and hugely successful) coach, so what chance do mere mortals have of surviving his reign?

Think it's tough leading a team? Try guiding a nation.That's exactly the pressure the manager of England's national soccer team faces. Since 1947, 15 different men have ascended to the position, a post once described as the third most important job in England behind the monarchy and prime minister. Since England is credited for creating the modern rules of the sport and has one of the most popular and wealthiest soccer leagues in the world (Barclay's Premier League), that pressure is to be expected. However, only one manager, Alf Ramsey in 1966, has lifted the team to the biggest prize in international soccer — the World Cup — leading to increasing pressure on whoever is in charge. Fabio Capello, pictured, resigned in February of 2012.

Toronto claims to be the "hockey center of the universe," but no town is as hockey-mad as Montreal, meaning no job in the NHL has as much pressure as the coach of the Canadiens. Much like the New York Yankees, it's the Canadiens' tradition of winning that sets the bar so high, with the franchise claiming 24 Stanley Cups — but none since 1993. Only one coach (Pat Burns, 1988-1992) has lasted more than three seasons behind the Habs' bench in the past 20 years. Some have said playing goal in Montreal is the toughest job in sports. But before he was fired, Guy Carbonneau, a former Canadiens captain who won two Cups in Montreal, said, "Nah, it's (being) the coach."

OK, does this picture say it all, or what? It was taken at the Jan. 23, 2007 news conference where team owner Al Davis introduced Lane Kiffin, then 31, as the youngest coach in Raiders history. Davis looks like he's about to go all werewolf on the photographer, and Kiffin, who has just been hired, looks like he's thinking "OK, if I sit really still maybe he won't notice me. Um, WHY am I taking this job?" Good question, as it turned out. On Sept. 30, 2008, Davis held another news conference, this one to announce Kiffin's firing and to call him a "flat-out liar" who brought "disgrace to the organization." Some would counter that Davis' organization already was steeped in disgrace after compiling only 32 wins in the past six seasons.

Eleven national championships. Thirteen NCAA title-game appearances. Eighteen Final Four appearances. There aren't too many other programs in college basketball with expectations as high as UCLA. John Wooden left some big shoes to fill for his Westwood successors, including current head coach Ben Howland, who took the Bruins to three straight Final Fours from 2006-2008 but failed to win the big one.