Marjama at an NEDA charity walk
Major-league baseball players don’t typically walk away from the game willingly. Usually, it is a combination of injury, age, or scandal that lead to early retirement. This week, though, Mariner’s catcher Mike Marjama abruptly retired from baseball for a very different reason.
The 28-year-old is quitting the sport to become an Ambassador for the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA).
For Marjama, eating disorders are a very personal issue. He struggled with one throughout high-school and nearly had his career derailed before it ever began due to health complications from his eating disorder.
— Michael Marjama (@MMarjama) July 9, 2018
“For most of my life, I believed that my purpose was to play Major League Baseball,” wrote Marjama in his retirement announcement. “Having achieved more than I could have ever imagined in this game, I began to realize that my mission in life means more than a baseball career.”
“With the help of Uninterrupted, I decided to share my past struggles with eating disorders. As a result of the incredible feedback, I’ve become passionate about working closely with the fantastic people at the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA). While I don’t know what the next phase of my professional life looks like, I am committed to help de-stigmatize this mental illness by volunteering to partner with NEDA as an Ambassador.”
