THE LONGEVITY OF BASEBALL HALL OF FAMERS COMPARED TO OTHER PLAYERS ERNEST L. ABEL Departments of Obstetrics=Gynecology and Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA MICHAEL L. KRUGER Department of Obstetrics=Gynecology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA The authors compared the longevity of all baseball players alive at the time of their induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame with age-matched controls who were likewise alive at the time of the Hall of Famer’s induction, and also matched them for career length, player position, and body-mass index, to assess if fame in sports is associated with increased longevity. Median post-induction survival for Hall of Famers was 5 years shorter than for noninducted players (18 vs. 23 years, respectively). In a second analysis, significantly more Hall of Famers died of cardiovascular or stroke causes than other players for whom cause of death was known. Baseball fame may have a hitherto unrecognized price. Studies of longevity among elite athletes compared to the general public have yielded conflicting results with some studies reporting lower than expected mortality (Karvoneme, Klemola, Virkajarvi et al., 1984; Schnohr, 1971; VanSaase, Noteboom, & Vanderbroucke, 1990); whereas others have not found significant differences (Beaglehole & Stewart, 1983; Waterbor, Cole, Delzeli, & Andjelkovitz, 1988). Sarna et al. (1993) found evidence for both outcomes depending on whether an athlete was engaged in aerobic (e.g., long distance running or soccer) or power sports (e.g., wres- tling). Those excelling in aerobic sports had significantly increased longevities although those excelling in power sports did not. In contrast to studies of whether participation in sports affects longevity, there are relatively few studies within specific sports of Received 20 December 2004; accepted 20 June 2005. Address correspondence to Ernest L. Abel, Ph.D., C.S. Mott Center for Human Growth and Development, 275 East Hancock, Detroit, MI 48201. E-mail: eabel@wayne.edu 959 Death Studies, 29: 959–963, 2005 Copyright # Taylor & Francis Inc. ISSN: 0748-1187 print/1091-7683 online DOI: 10.1080/07481180500299493