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Life expectancy of major league baseball umpires
R S Cohen1, C A Kamps, S Kokoska
1Department of Family Medicine, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA. cohenr@mail.upstate.edu.
The Physician and Sportsmedicine
|January 21, 2010
Summary
Major League Baseball (MLB) umpires do not have a shorter life expectancy than the general population. Analysis of umpire mortality indicates their profession is not associated with increased health risks.
Area of Science:
- Sports Medicine
- Occupational Health
- Demography
Background:
- A recent on-field fatality of a Major League Baseball (MLB) umpire prompted concerns about the profession's mortality risks.
- This event initiated an investigation into the potential dangers associated with MLB umpiring.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether the life expectancy of MLB umpires differs from that of the general population.
- To assess the occupational health and mortality patterns of professional baseball umpires.
Main Methods:
- Collected data on the ages of death for MLB umpires.
- Calculated the difference between umpire ages at death and age-adjusted life expectancies.
- Performed correlational analyses on factors like career length, debut year, and debut age.
Main Results:
- No statistically significant difference was observed between the age at death of MLB umpires and their expected age-adjusted life expectancy.
- Career length was the only factor found to significantly correlate with an umpire's age at death.
Conclusions:
- MLB umpiring does not appear to be linked to a reduced lifespan.
- The lack of increased mortality risk may be due to the absence of inherent dangers or the presence of unknown protective factors.
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