The authors used duration analysis to examine the longevity of Major League 
Baseball players. Using data on players who were born between 1945 and 1964, the 
authors found that the hazard rate of death for players who only attended high 
school was almost 2.0 times higher than those players who attended a 4-year 
university, evidence that the educaton [sic]-health link applies to professional 
athletes. Another important determinant of longevity was race. In addition, a 
player's body mass index was positively associated with a higher hazard of 
death. Compared with the general population, the death rate of baseball players 
was lower--the observed number of deaths in the dataset was only 31% of the 
expected number. Findings in this article are likely attributable to education 
being correlated with other variables that affect longevity, most likely 
intelligence and time preference.