If you know David Samson as an MLB media personality and character in The Dan Le Batard Show universe, you know he’s an idiosyncratic guy.
Whether it’s his sad loss of taste and smell from the coronavirus, his insistence on taking the capitalist, corporate side of every issue, or his vocal criticism of his own boss Dan Le Batard, Samson marches to the beat of his own drummer. But the world learned a little more about Samson this week in an episode of Pablo Torre Finds Out.
While discussing new findings around the weight-loss drug Ozempic, Samson revealed that during his tenure as president of the Miami Marlins, he suffered from severe body dysmorphia and became anorexic. Samson explained that his struggles with weight and physical appearance began as a young boy, and took years of therapy to overcome.
“I’ve never been what other people would consider overweight, but I have always had a tremendous body dysmorphia issue,” Samson said. “It turns out that the best way that I ever found to lose weight was to be sick, and I had a disorder … I was an anorexic for a bunch of years while I was running a professional sports team.”
“I was an anorexic for a bunch of years while running a professional sports team.”@DavidPSamson opens up for the first time about his struggles with body dysmorphia.
More: https://t.co/h5UbDbNnJk pic.twitter.com/cTXro9u4Do
— Pablo Torre Finds Out (@pablofindsout) December 12, 2024
Beyond his private battles, Samson said his role as a public figure in sports made life even more difficult.
“All I’m thinking about when I do shows or when I’m in public and when I’m in private, every moment that I’m awake, I’m thinking of my stomach. It’s all I ever think about,” Samson said. “It’s a horrible thing to have what I have … I would run 20 miles and purposefully not eat the entire day, while running a baseball team.”
Within the Le Batard Show ensemble, David Samson is known for his charity distance runs and extravagant travel. Diehard fans may know his affinity for jellybeans, despite not being able to taste them since getting COVID-19.
But Samson has never opened up on the extent of his body image problems and the physical toll it took on him earlier in life. Samson said his lowest weight was 117 lbs., and he is now up to 139 after years of work.
“I really was sick. I really have never talked about that,” Samson admitted. “That’s a disappointing thing to say out loud.”
Beyond the unique physical feats and eccentric taste in sweets, Samson has also revealed to the Le Batard Show audience the details of his insomnia and germophobia. While such extreme anxiety clearly challenges Samson, his openness to discussing these issues can go a long way.
