Athletes who died in 2011 didn't live very long on average
I saw a list of athletes in the Daily Sun who died in 2011 and I figured out their average age of death. It came to 68. No surprise there because I had read years ago that they live shorter lives, on average, than the general population. There were ten athletes listed for 2011.
I figured that wasn't very scientific so I went to google to see what I could find. Well, I found a site that stated the average elite athlete will only live to age 67. How about that! I was only off by one year. And 67 compares with the average for the U.S. population of 76.
Another statistic (this one from the NFL): The average life expectancy for NFL players is 58.
Could it be we admire the wrong people?
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