Betting champion's company closes due to vegan agreement
Joey Chestnut, the long-standing champion of the New York Hotdog Contest, won't be joining this year's event due to a sponsorship issue. The sponsor for the 40-year-old and the sausage he promotes has mixed things up, causing the hot dog prodigy to back out.
America's Hot-Dog-Gulping Champ, Joey Chestnut, won't be competing in the "Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest" for the Fourth of July this year. The reason for his withdrawal was revealed as contractual disagreements by the event's organiser.
Chestnut has recently signed a deal with Impossible Foods, a company that manufactures vegan sausages. George Shea, co-founder and CEO of Major League Eating (MLE), explained that this is a problem for the Nathan's-sponsored event. "We're bummed out to find out that Joey chose to promote a rival company that produces plant-based frankfurters instead of taking part in the 2024 competition," MLE announced. They clarified it's about loyalty and not about money. "It'd be like Michael Jordan declaring, 'I'll also endorse Adidas'." Shea said that it's the competitors' decision to make. "We adore him, the fans love him," Shea concluded. "But he decided to go with a competitor."
Chestnut, known as "Jaws," has been a regular at the annual eating contest at the amusement park in southern New York since 2005. He has won every year since 2015 without losing. In last year's competition, he astonished everyone by gobbling down 62 hot dogs and buns in just 10 minutes. His personal best? A whopping 76 hot dogs in the same time period, which amounts to around eight frankfurters per minute.
With Chestnut stepping back this year, his runner-ups could have a shot at the top spot. The contest will welcome global participants.
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Despite Joey Chestnut's new partnership with International Health-focused brand Impossible Foods, which produces plant-based alternatives to traditional meats such as sausages, his absence at the New York Hot Dog Contest this year remains a disappointment for its organizers. The International event's rules require loyalty to its primary sponsor, Nathan's Famous, making Chestnut's decision to promote a competitor problematic.
