There’s a little more to it than just “eat as many dogs as you can in 10 minutes.” But yeah, that’s the gist.
On the Fourth of July, we come together as a nation to celebrate America. No brand understands this better than Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs.
Since 1967, albeit with occasional breaks, the company has sponsored an eating contest either on or around Independence Day. The proceedings have changed, as have the prizes and the fame that follows the event. The premise remains the same: Whoever eats the most hot dogs wins.
Since Takeru Kobayashi’s incredible 2001 debut, that’s meant putting down at least 50 hot dogs and buns (HDBs) in a ludicrously short timeline (10 minutes, down from 12 after the 2007 contest).
But there’s a little more to the competition than showing up and chowing down. The Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest has some strict rules that must be followed to complete one dedicated gurgitator’s quest for the mustard yellow (or pink, in the case of the women’s competition) belt.
Joey Chestnut has put MLE in a real pickle, is being a total weenie.
Is it possible to celebrate America without the greatest athlete of all time front and center? This may be the future of our nation thanks to a …(sigh) beef between hot dog eating GOAT Joey Chestnut and Major League Eating (MLE).
Early reports from the New York Post suggested the MLE had banned Chestnut from participating in this year’s Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest — i.e. the event that kicks off your Independence Day with gurgitory greatness. This would be a massive deal.
Chestnut has ascended beyond Michael Jordan status, a champion with no rival. He’s taken home the mustard yellow belt 16 of the last 17 years, emerging as the beef-stained face of competitive eating by hammering down 60 to 70 hot dogs in a 10 minute span and allowing the world to see the limits of peak human performance.
The reason for the alleged ban? Chestnut’s partnership with Impossible Foods, the plant-based meat replacement that made the legendary athlete spokesman for its new vegan hot dogs. Per reports, Chestnut refused to eat the classic Nathan’s offerings and instead wanted to swap in his Impossible franks instead — a trade that could create a clear imbalance between the defending champion and the rest of the field.
Per the New York Post, MLE representatives addressed the issue in a statement:
We are devastated to learn that Joey Chestnut has chosen to represent a rival brand that sells plant-based hot dogs rather than competing in the 2024 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest
…
For nearly two decades we have worked under the same basic hot dog exclusivity provisions. However, it seems that Joey and his managers have prioritized a new partnership with a different brand over our long-time relationship.
Joey Chestnut is an American hero. We would love nothing more than to have him at the Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest. We hope he returns when he is not representing a rival brand.
Also brought to light in the Post’s report? The fact Chestnut made $200,000 per Nathan’s appearance before even getting to his official winnings ($10,000 for each belt). MLE reportedly offered to bump that in a four-year, $1.2 million contract offer, but was rebuffed by Chestnut’s partnership with Impossible.
This wouldn’t be the first high profile conflict to mar the Fourth of July’s greatest spectacle. Takeru Kobayashi’s refusal to sign an exclusive contract with the league kept the six-time champion out of the competition starting in 2010. Losing Chestnut would open the door for Geoffrey Esper and Patrick Bertoletti to break his string of victories.
There’s still time for the two sides to reach a compromise. We’ll see if MLE caves to the demands of its biggest star or if, somehow, we’ll have an Independence Day without Joey Chestnut’s bun-splattered greatness for the first time in two decades.
We’ll all have to wait a little longer to watch Joey Chestnut chase title No. 16.
You can officially no longer complain that competitive eating isn’t a real sport as the start of the 2023 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest was delayed by lightning.
UPDATE: Because of the inclement weather, the 2023 men’s Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest was canceled, per ABC7 in New York. However, not long after the reported cancellation, ESPN announced that the contest was back on after a lengthy delay.
The Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest rookie has the best nickname of the bunch.
The annual tradition of watching competitive eaters absolutely destroy a plate (or multiple plates) of hot dogs continued this Fourth of July as Miki Sudo won her ninth title in the women’s division.
While Sudo chomped her way to 39.5 finished hot dogs, the nation’s attention was drawn to one of her competitors. Elizabeth Salgado of Keene, California — making her Fourth of July debut for the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest — captured the hearts of the internet with her incredible nickname: Glizzy Lizzy.
But the story’s origin is as confusing as the tradition itself.
The contest is said to have begun in 1916, the same year that Nathan Handwerker opened his iconic hot dog restaurant in Coney Island. More via Nathan’s Franks:
“Legend has it that on July 4, 1916, four immigrants gathered at the very first Nathan’s Famous hot dog stand in Coney Island and made eating contest history. As the story goes, they were competing to see who was the most patriotic. How did they determine the winner? With a hot dog-eating contest, of course!”
That sounds all fine and good, of course. However, that story is simply a “legend” and nothing more than that.
In fact, it is reportedly one that is fabricated by “press agents” hired by Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs named Max Rosey and Mortimer Matz.
“[Rosey and Matz] also dreamed up the hot dog eating contest in the early 1970s, although they insisted, and the press gullibly reported, that they were reviving a tradition that dated to 1916 … More recently, their publicity protégés, George and Richard Shea, embellished the creation myth, attributing it to an argument between immigrants overheard by Nathan Handwerker on the Fourth of July, about who was the most patriotic American among them.”
In reality, the first records of the contest existing at all did not come until 1967 and 1972. There is no record of a winner during a competition held on July 4 until 1974.
The contest didn’t become an officially sanctioned event until 1997. That is when the Shea brothers, who took over publicity for Nathan’s in the mid-1990s, founded the International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE) and Major League Eating (MLE).
No matter the origins, however, the contest’s popularity is undeniable.
Approximately 35,000 fans annually gather on Coney Island to watch the events in person and, per Nathan’s site, more than millions watch at home via the ESPN telecast.
Yep, Super Bowl concession prices are as stupidly high as you thought.
NFL concessions don’t have to be obscenely expensive. Unless it’s the Super Bowl, which sets upon its fans with the eagerness of an airport marking up a three ounce bag of Cheez-Its to $12.
As per tradition, the game with the most expensive tickets of the year — the cheapest available seat Sunday morning was $3,600 — also has the most expensive food and beverage lineup. Super Bowl 56 takes place in a $5 billion stadium and has prices that suggest Los Angeles is trying to make that up one “super cocktail” at a time. While a few relatively cheap items like $5 hot dogs and $4 soft pretzels remain, a standard beverage-sandwich-side trifecta will run you at least $30 at the big game and $40 if you want to add a little booze to the mix.
Super Bowl concession prices. $17 for a michelob ultra seems like a lot but it is very warm in SoFi. 🤷🏻♂️ pic.twitter.com/u8kFV3LByI
Let’s say after shelling out $4,000 on a ticket, you’re down to your last $50. Rather than save that for 1/8th of a surge-priced Uber back downtown, you decide you’re gonna live it up and pour that into the concessions that’ll keep you happy through three hours of football. What are you buying?
Here’s how I’d approach Super Bowl 56’s overpriced snack stands.
1. Craft beer ($19)
It’s a football game. THE football game, in fact. There’s no way I’m watching it without a beer, even if one pint costs roughly the same price as a case of Coors Banquet here in Wisconsin. There’s also no way I can read “PREMIUM BEER (MICHELOB ULTRA) – $17” without my eyes rolling into the back of my head so hard my retinas detach, but that’s really my problem, not yours, right?
Anyway, Super Bowl 56 is a Bud Light joint, but Anheuser-Busch has a pretty solid array of craft beers in its portfolio to choose from. We don’t know who has set up shop at SoFi Stadium, but there’s a good chance it’s breweries with connections to their local NFL clubs like Elysian, Breckenridge, or Goose Island. I don’t love the idea of dropping $20+ on one beer (and tip), but if I am I’d rather it be a high-test IPA like Space Dust or Full Contact — the latter of which I highlighted in my Super Bowl beer guide earlier this week.
2. 2 hot dogs ($10)
There are multiple hot dog options in Inglewood. There’s also a deep fried jalapeno cheddar sausage whose origin can only be explained by a vengeful chef wanting to punish buyers by blasting the roofs of their mouths with a magma explosion of boiling hot cheese.
Rather than splurge on a $16 hot that’s only 1/3rd of a pound, I’m opting for two traditional weiners, which I can only hope are similar to the Dodger Dogs across town. Google assures me the two venues are a mere 13 miles and two-hour drive away from each other. The extra bun and customization options — onions, mustard, and god-willing a warm vat of soggy, picked-over sauerkraut — makes this the most filling option you’re gonna find for $10
3. Chips and queso ($7)
Don’t let the name fool you. These are stadium nachos all the way. Close your eyes: you know exactly what they look like. Round yellow corn tortilla chips from a massive foodservice supply bag. Plastic container with a special indent for incandescent nacho cheese that bathes the rest of the entree in an unnatural orange glow.
Yep, that’s it. Filling, delicious, and something you’d never eat at home because you haven’t given up on life just yet. Perfect ballpark food.
4. Bud Light ($13)
Listen, I see it too. But you’re gonna get thirsty over the course of a three-hour game and one beer isn’t gonna do the trick. If you opt for tater tots over nachos you can upgrade to Michelob Ultra over Bud Light, but if you think there’s any appreciable difference between the two besides the amount of CrossFit conversations that take place while holding one, you’re severely mistaken.
It tastes sorta like beer and it comes in an aluminum cup. Good enough.
Total: $49
Total estimated calories: 1,500
There you go. I’ve taken in enough caloric content to get me through at least three hours of football and even have a dollar left over to wager on Evan McPherson as Super Bowl MVP at +13000. What about you? Here’s your $50: what are you buying at Super Bowl 56?
Chicagoans now have a plan encase the Bulls don’t meat their expectations
The Chicago Bulls played exactly one preseason game before the city’s basketball fans fell in love with this year’s team, thrashing the Cleveland Cavaliers, 131-95, on Tuesday. The offseason additions of DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso combined for 31 points, 19 assists and 11 rebounds while Zach LaVine poured in 25 points. Much of that action took place above the rim with a mini dunk contest breaking out between the Bulls. That was all it took for The Wiener’s Circle—Chicago’s infamous hot dog stand—to offer free hot dogs all day if the Bulls miss the playoffs.
The establishment’s traditional side of insults are likely to reach all-time profane levels if the employees are forced to pay out.
Chicago is the best basketball city in the world, and we at the wieners circle collective love basketball and our new look @chicagobulls. If the bulls don’t make the playoffs this year, it’s free hot dogs on us for an entire day, spread the word. @SarahSpain@leilarahimi
The odds do seem to favor The Wiener’s Circle at this point. Tipico Sportsbook lists the Bulls at -170 (bet $170 to win $100) to make the postseason in an increasingly competitive Eastern Conference. Chicago is +130 (bet $100 to win $130) to miss the playoffs. Just who the Bulls will beat out to earn its first postseason berth since 2017 remains to be seen.
The Milwaukee Bucks, Brooklyn Nets, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks, New York Knicks and Miami Heat all look like locks on paper while the Washington Wizards, Indiana Pacers and Charlotte Hornets will contend for one of the remaining seeds. According to Tankathon, the Bulls’ strength of schedule ranks 15th in the league. There’s certainly plenty to like about the club’s chances this season—the brain trust of vice president Arturas Karnisovas, general manager Marc Eversley and head coach Billy Donovan have worked to quickly build an exciting roster—though this is still an unproven team.
Zach wasn't surprised at how the team looked in tonight's game:
Billy Donovan thought the #Bulls actually "overpassed" on a number of possessions tonight, but he'd rather it be that than the inverse. They had 36 assists and 9 turnovers.
A postseason berth may depend just as much on the new additions building chemistry as the development of younger players like Patrick Williams, Javonte Green, Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu.
One way or the other, the Bulls will be a fascinating watch this season. If the club can’t snap the postseason draught, at least Chicagoans will be able to eat their feelings in hot dogs.
That may have been the case regardless but The Wiener’s Circle will make it a bit more convenient.
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