Nothing Says Independence Like Competitive Eating
It’s the Fourth of July, and while many of us think of people like Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, the ubiquitous “Uncle Sam” and others, the new “stars” of this date have names like Joey Chestnut and Kobayashi.
Thanks to national sponsors and live TV exposure on ESPN, the world of competitive eating has become a mainstream… sport? Regardless of what you call it, people suddenly care about the guy scarfing down dozens of burgers, pounds of potato salad, and gallons of ice cream.
The most famous eating contest of late is Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest. Broadcast live on ESPN, the two main competitors are Takeru Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut. After today’s victory (if you call eating 68 hot dogs in 10 minutes a “victory”), Joey Chestnut has won the past three Nathan’s contests. Kobayashi has won six previous titles.
Yes, there is even a federation, appropriately titled IFOCE for International Federation of Competitive Eating. Check the websites below for all the information you can swallow in one sitting.
Read on:
ESPN.com – Chestnut wins third straight crown
MajorLeagueEating.com (videos and other gross stuff)
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Great article! This cracks me up. I’m amazed that this competition is featured on ESPN – this seems to be the opposite of a sport.