Short-lived Athletes

Short-Lived Athletes.

They Seem to Wear Out Much Sooner Than Less Active Men.

Interview with a Boston trainer: Did it ever occur to you that athletes are rarely long lived? By athletes I mean the folks who are training themselves continually for special feats of muscular power, and I leave out the dilettante amateur, who exercises slightly, comparatively speaking, and then with only the object of physical development. It is my opinion that, as a rule, the professional athlete is not a very good risk for the life insurance people. And this aside from any risks of physical injury of a sudden nature to which the athlete in the course of his performance may be subject. I think it would seriously stump you if I asked you to name a dozen cases of extreme longevity among men who have been famous for their muscular power and skill. But anybody can name a dozen people who have led sedentary lives from boyhood and attained extreme old age. Very strange as it may appear, consumption is a disease to which the swimmer, the oarsman, the runner and the fighter have all, on numerous occasions, fallen victims. Rheumatism is another common disorder; all of which sometimes makes me think that nature never intended the development of the human physical energies to the point at which they are often observed. The athlete who lives the longest is the man who used to be a an athlete and gave up him athletic fancies and plans before he had reached middle life.--Saturday Evening Post.