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Joey Chestnut, a 16-time Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest champion, has been banned from the famous competition held on July 4th.
A sponsorship to ‘represent another hot dog brand’ is the source of the conflict.
A spokesperson for Major League Eating (MLE) said he wouldn’t be allowed to participate in the highly-anticipated hot dog eating contest in New York City’s Coney Island.
According to the New York Post, Impossible Foods is the brand in question.
Joey Chestnut banned from 2024 Nathan’s hot dog eating contest in beef over vegan franks https://t.co/FkoZP2N2b0 pic.twitter.com/YPOEtacHnY
— New York Post (@nypost) June 11, 2024
From the New York Post:
And not just any brand, but Impossible Foods, which recently launched a vegan frankfurter impostor made from plants.
California-born Chestnut has won it 16 times, including every year since 2016. He gobbled a world’s record 76 dogs and buns in 2021 and kept his title with a paltry 62 down the hatch last year.
He was expected to once again take his usual spot for the hot dog contest on the stage at the corner of Stillwell and Surf avenues — one block from the famous Boardwalk and a Coney Island tradition since 1916 — until the unexpected food fight.
A rep for Major League Eating (MLE), which Nathan’s sanctions to run the event, said the organizers bent over backwards to meet Chestnut’s various demands. They even agreed to let him participate in a rival Labor Day dog-eating fest to be taped for TV as long as no hot dog brand was mentioned.
But they said they drew the line on letting Chestnut pitch for a different hot dog brand.
A source said Chestnut was paid $200,000 to appear in the Nathan’s contest last year, and was offered a $1.2 million, four-year contract going forward.
Joey Chestnut has been banned from this year’s Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest
Chestnut agreed to represent vegan brand “Impossible Foods” over Nathan’s
More here: https://t.co/btK6yMFuhr pic.twitter.com/qEMSTE4bDl
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 11, 2024
Nathan’s will not allow Joey Chestnut to compete in the 2024 Hot Dog eating contest after Chestnut signed a four-year, $1.2M deal with Impossible Foods, a vegan food company, per @nypost
Chestnut was paid $200K for his appearance in last year’s contest pic.twitter.com/GWOTHRe8MX
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) June 11, 2024
“It would be like Michael Jordan saying to Nike, ‘I’m going to represent Adidas, too,’” an MLE event organizer said, according to ESPN.
Nathan’s Famous cut ties with Joey Chestnut, the hot dog eating champ, after he partnered with Impossible Foods, a rival company that makes vegan hot dogs. “It is like a gut punch” George Shea, the host of Nathan’s annual Fourth of July contest, said. https://t.co/1cJmKaYaaw pic.twitter.com/cKnq3SlkG5
— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 11, 2024
Per ESPN:
“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,” Major League Eating said in a statement.
“MLE and Nathan’s went to great lengths in recent months to accommodate Joey and his management team, agreeing to the appearance fee and allowing Joey to compete in a rival unbranded hot dog eating contest on Labor Day. 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 hot dog brand over our long-time relationship.”
Chestnut owns the top 10 performances at the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, including downing a record 76 hot dogs and buns in 2021. He ate 62 franks and buns to win last year’s event
“Joey Chestnut is an American hero,” MLE’s statement said. “We would love nothing more than to have him at the Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest, which he has dominated for years. We hope that he returns when he is not representing a rival brand.”
