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It’s the news that’s rocked the sports world, so let’s bite into it: this week Nathan’s declared that 16-time Mustard Yellow Belt champ Joey Chestnut was BANNED from competing in this year’s 4th of July Hot Dog Eating Contest. It was a below-the-bun punch to the athlete who’s nearly become synonymous with the event itself. All that training, and he gets yanked from eating franks less than a month before the big day. What are the grounds for this beef? Nathan’s alleges that Chestnut has a deal with Impossible Foods, makers of plant-based hot dogs, which violates the “basic hot dog exclusivity provisions” the contest has always had. But where Nathan’s saw offense, Netflix saw an opportunity; the streamer stealthily swooped in and booked Chestnut for a live hot dog eating event, to be held September 2, which will see Chestnut face off against longtime rival (and six-time Nathan’s champ) Takeru Kobayashi. I have never been more riveted by sports than I am in this moment.
Please enjoy more hot dog puns: Just one day after being deemed ineligible to competitively devour hot dogs at the 2024 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, the 16-time hot dog-eating champion [Joey Chestnut] will now be facing off against Takeru Kobayashi — a six-time champ himself — as they partake in their own live Netflix eat-off on Sept. 2. The event, Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef, boasts all-beef hot dogs and as the streaming service puts it, will settle a 15-year rivalry between the two competitive eaters. With a location and time yet to be announced, Netflix noted on its website that the live event will mark the “ultimate wiener-takes-all competition.”
Nathan’s beef with Chestnut: The announcement came just one day after Major League Eating announced on June 11 that Chestnut would not be participating in the forthcoming Nathan’s contest — in response to a conflict involving a plant-based brand. Nathan’s does not allow their competitors to endorse a “rival brand.” Major League Eating noted at the time that it has “worked under the same basic hot dog exclusivity provisions” for nearly two decades, and that Chestnut’s team “prioritized a new partnership with a different hot dog brand over our long-time relationship.”
Chestnut’s rebuttal: “I was very disappointed to learn from the media today that after nearly 20 years I am banned from the Nathan’s 4th of July Hot Dog Eating Contest,” Chestnut wrote on social media at the time. “I love competing in that event, I love celebrating America with my fans all over this great country on the 4th and I have been training to defend my title.” The New York Post noted that the conflict was in response to Chestnut’s partnership with Impossible Foods. “To set the record straight, I do not have a contract with MLE or Nathan’s and they are looking to change the rules from past years as it relates to other partners I can work with,” Chestnut wrote in response. “This is apparently the basis on which I’m being banned, and it doesn’t impact the July 4th contest.”
The last hurrah for Kobayashi: Announcing his retirement from the sport last month, Kobayashi shared that he was closing the chapter in his life to “live a long and healthy life.” Citing the fact that he “eats too much” — specifically, 10,000 career hot dogs — the competitive eater shared that he’s lost the ability to fully taste, savor and smell food. “I don’t feel that joy about eating anymore,” he said at the time. “It’s scary to think that the brain and the gut are so closely related. It makes me want to be more careful with what I eat.”
Wait, there’s an organization for Major League Eating?! How did I not know this! It’s not like I haven’t been aware of Nathan’s annual event; my father was a Brooklyn boy who took pride in the Nathan’s brand, and of course would dutifully tune in every July. But I thought it was just a fun Nathan’s thing. So to hear people talk about “career hot dogs,” or to look at Chestnut’s website where he lists his world records in a gazillion different food contests — including Burritos, Long Form — well it’s blowing my mind, people. I’m just saying, the trajectory of my life could have been entirely different if, instead of offering soccer or volleyball, someone had honestly told little girl Kismet that there’s a fruitful sport to be had in competitive eating. I could’ve been a contender!
Reading the statements from Chestnut and MLE/Nathan’s, I can’t get a real handle on which side is in the right. All I can tell is that both sides are steamed and left with a sauerkraut taste in their mouths, as is the public at large. Even the NYC mayor has weighed in, relishing in his punmanship. But I gotta give the last word here to Kobayashi, for giving us this endearingly straightforward thought: “It’s scary to think that the brain and the gut are so closely related. It makes me want to be more careful with what I eat.” The wisdom that can be found at the end of a 10,000 hot dog journey!
Stop being such weenies! It would be 'impossible' to have this year's Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest without Joey Chestnut.
Let's find a way to squash this beef and bring back the champ for another 4th of July at Coney Island!https://t.co/NPuaApVw5a
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) June 12, 2024
Photos credit: Dennis Van Tine / Avalon and Getty
