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Published on: January 7, 2013
Major League Baseball Players' Life Expectancies
Jarron M Saint Onge1, Richard G Rogers, Patrick M Krueger
1University of Houston.
Social Science Quarterly
|September 17, 2009
Summary
Major League Baseball (MLB) players live longer than average U.S. males, gaining nearly five extra years of life expectancy. Career length, not physical traits, is linked to reduced mortality risk in these athletes.
Area of Science:
- Sports Medicine
- Public Health
- Gerontology
Background:
- Life expectancy trends in professional athletes are not well-established.
- Understanding factors influencing longevity in Major League Baseball (MLB) players can offer insights into broader population health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate anthropometric, performance, and temporal (age, period, cohort) factors affecting MLB player life expectancy over the last century.
- To compare the longevity of MLB players to the general U.S. male population.
Main Methods:
- Utilized discrete time hazard models to construct life tables.
- Incorporated covariates including player statistics and demographic data from Total Baseball.
- Analyzed data spanning the past 100 years of MLB history.
Main Results:
- MLB players exhibit a life expectancy approximately five years greater than 20-year-old U.S. males.
- Anthropometric measures (height, weight, handedness) and player performance ratings did not correlate with mortality risk.
- Extended career length was inversely associated with the risk of death, suggesting benefits from sustained income, fitness, and training.
Conclusions:
- Life expectancy has improved over time for all age groups within the MLB player population.
- These findings suggest potential avenues for improving longevity in the general U.S. population through lifestyle and career-related factors.
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