New think tank report finds elite cricketers, golfers, rugby and tennis players live longer, although footballers are more likely to live shorter lives than 90 years ago.

Professional sportsmen may live up to 13 per cent longer than those in the general population, a new statistical report has found.

The in-depth study by the International Longevity Centre UK (ILC) and supported by the Business School (formerly Cass) — based on records over a 180-year-span — finds large differences in the longevity of elite sportsmen in football, cricket, rugby, tennis, golf, boxing and horse racing compared with males in the general population that were born in the same year.

“The longevity of sporting legends” by Professor Les Mayhew, explains that top-level cricketers, rugby, golf and tennis players have benefited from the greatest increases in life expectancy, while boxers and jockeys are actually likely to live shorter lives than the average man across England and Wales, after taking into account general rises in life expectancy.

It further finds that among those alive today, there are 36 per cent more Wimbledon finalists than would be expected if they had the same mortality as the average male. This compares with 16 per cent more England rugby captains, 14 per cent more England cricket captains, and 9 per cent more British Open champions.

Many of the differences in life expectancy between sports can be accredited to varied levels of risk of injury, differences in socioeconomic status associated with a given sport, varying education levels and leadership qualities — with rugby captains for example seeing greater gains in longevity than in football.

Further findings from the report include:

• Professionals in cricket, rugby, tennis, golf and horse racing are more likely to live longer now than they were between 1900 and 1960 – due to improvements in safety, lifestyles, and post-career welfare. However, rule changes in boxing over many years to reduce the risk of long-term injury have not altered the fact that boxing is the most dangerous among the sports considered in the report, with elite-level boxers historically living about 25 per cent shorter lives than other top-level athletes.
• Between 1968, the start of the open era when professional players were admitted to Wimbledon, and 2020, male finalists experienced a 25 per cent increase in longevity. And 50 per cent of all Wimbledon men’s singles finalists were still alive in 2020, 16 of whom are in their 80s or 90s.
• Footballers are more likely to have shorter lives now than in the 1930s and 1940s, partly due to muddy pitches and heavier balls being used in the early post-war era and more professional matches being played, therefore increasing the risk of long-term head and other injuries.
• Some of the oldest legends reached their prime back in the 19th century. For example, Tom Morris won the Open for the third time in 1867 at age 46. In the modern era Lester Piggott was aged 48 when he last won the Derby in 1983, Peter Shilton was 40 when he last captained the England football team in 1990 and Roger Federer won his last Wimbledon title in 2017 aged 36.

Professor Les Mayhew, Head of Global Research at ILC and Professor of Statistics at the Business School (formerly Cass), said:

“It is well established that playing sport has a variety of health benefits, but nobody knew how it impacted how long professional sportsmen may live – until now.”

“While it may be unsurprising to hear a boxer is more likely to live a shorter time than the average man, it is more shocking to learn how tennis players continue to live longer as the years pass, and that, despite advances in medicine and technology, footballers are less likely now than in the 1930s to live longer. This research also confirms that social factors – such as socio-economic background and level of education – have a key influence on longevity.”

“Now we know that certain sports increase your chances of a longer life, it may encourage those of all ages to continue to be physically active throughout their lives.”

Sir Brendan Foster, former Olympian and Founder of the Great North Run, said:

“I welcome this timely report by the ILC ahead of a summer of sports, which demonstrates all too clearly the benefits of sport, not just to our overall health, but also to our life expectancy.”

“It also dispels some important myths around sport and brings valuable insight about what aspects of professional sporting careers best support longer, healthier lives – from making sure we address the risk of injury, to creating leadership opportunities for athletes and supporting post-career welfare.”

Notes

“The longevity of sporting legends” is available here.

Luke Lambert, Senior Communications Officer, City, University of London
T: +44 (0) 20 7040 3431 M: +44 (0) 74 2363 8025 E: luke.lambert@city.ac.uk

Background information

1. For this study, comparisons are made based on Office of National Statistics cohort life tables relative to each sport.
2. This research was unable to cover women or additional sports – such as snooker, downhill skiing or F1, because the historical record is much thinner, and the popularity has only increased in more recent years.
3. ‘The longevity of sporting legends’ report will be officially launched at a virtual event on Thursday 10 June between 2pm and 4pm. Olympian medallist Brendan Foster CBE will chair the panel, which will include speakers Alan Smith, former professional footballer for Arsenal and England; Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE, Paralympian and Crossbench Peer in the House of Lords; Professor Chris Brady, Chief Intelligence Officer at Sportsology and formerly Professor of Management Studies at Salford University; and Scott Reid, Global Propositions & Analytics Actuary at Zurich Insurance Company and marathon runner. Register here.

About The Business School

The Business School (formerly Cass) is a leading global Business School driven by world-class knowledge, innovative education and a vibrant community. The School has been at the forefront of business education for over 50 years, developing leaders who help businesses thrive through change and uncertainty.

Located in the heart of one of the world’s top financial centres, the School has strong links to both the City of London and the thriving entrepreneurial hub of Tech City.

The faculty are experts in their fields, producing cutting-edge research with real-world impact. The last Research Excellence Framework results assessed 84 per cent of its research to be world-leading or internationally excellent.

The School educates nearly 4,000 students each year on globally renowned courses across all levels of study including undergraduate, postgraduate and Executive Education. On
graduating, students join a strong alumni community of more than 48,000 in more than 160 countries.

In April 2021, the decision was taken to rename the School as Bayes Business School from September 2021, after a full consultation process. This followed the University’s announcement in July 2020 that the Cass name would be removed after the news that some of Sir John Cass’s wealth was obtained though his links to the slave trade, and that this was incompatible with City’s values of diversity and inclusion.

The School had carried the Cass name between 2002 and 2020 after a donation from the Sir John Cass Foundation, an educational charity which has now been renamed The Portal Trust.

A short biography of Thomas Bayes and his theorem is available here.

The latest City, University of London Staff and Student Equality Monitoring Report (2019/20) is available here and includes reporting on ethnicity (section three, from page 12 onwards).