The purpose of this study was to understand the unique stressors faced by physical educators working in New York City schools. Participants included 34 New York City physical educators who participated in semi-structured interviews about their experiences teaching in an urban context. Qualitative data analysis resulted in the construction of four themes: (1) working with limited and inconsistent infrastructure; (2) navigating student diversity; (3) coping with marginalization and advocating for quality practices; and (4) managing the sociopolitics of teaching. These themes highlight the intersection between discipline and teaching context and are discussed through the lens of occupational socialization theory.