Aging & Social Change: Twelfth Interdisciplinary Conference

Abstract

The process of aging among athletes has vast economic implications for the labor market of professional sports. Specifically, determining the peak performance of athletes can be useful for franchises, practitioners, and the athletes themselves. Previous research in the context of the National Basketball Association has found that performance is maximized at approximately 26 years of age (Simmons & Berri, 2011). Analyses of European men’s professional soccer have found similar results, with peak performance occurring between 25 – 27 years (Dendir, 2016). In men’s professional hockey, research has reported that although scoring peak age occurs between 27 – 29 years for skaters (forwards and defensemen), near-peak performance may last from 24 – 34 in such athletes (Brander, Egan, & Yeung, 2014). However, investigations on the effects of aging in women’s professional team sports are relatively scant. Thus, this study contributes to the existing literature by analyzing peak performance of Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players (n = 641) using data spanning 23 different seasons. We implement mixed-effects regression models with random effects of player, team, and season, controlling for team winning percentage, games played, minutes played, usage percentage, and pace. Given the emphasis on scoring in basketball (Berri, Brook, & Schmidt, 2007), we examine points per game and true shooting percentage in our analysis. We also investigate the impact of age on offensive rating, defensive rating, and the composite player impact estimate (PIE). Practical applications and future directions for research are also discussed.