Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest 2010

[Dave]

"The Tsunami" taken down by NYPD! Let's see...126 pound professional eater and at least 4 cops. Don't mess with our hot dogs pal!

[Svein]

This event caught the interest of national broadcasting here in Norway. (I guess Google Translate could be used )

http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/verden/1.7198610

[RichC]

I really don't understand why he couldn't compete?

[Dave]

They are required to sign the same contract as all the other competitors and Kobayashi wanted his own free agent deal. Pretty much like an NFL player holding out for more money so they lock him out of the team areas.

[RichC]

Originally posted by Dave:
They are required to sign the same contract as all the other competitors and Kobayashi wanted his own free agent deal. Pretty much like an NFL player holding out for more money so they lock him out of the team areas.

So what you're saying is that none of these guys can compete without an agent. Who probably get a big cut of any possible winnings.

[Dave]

I don't know if they have agents. The purse for Nathan's was $20,000 but I imagine people like Kobayashi and Chestnut get appearance money too. I'm waiting for their endorsement contracts to start showing up. "Nathan's Hot Dogs, I can eat 68 of them!". Or perhaps doing a pepcid TV ad. "You know, competitive eating can really give you heartburn. Especially the jalapeno eating contests. That's why I always take Pepcid AC an hour before each contest."

[RichC]

I've always wondered how those guy can handle eating all those jalapeno's.

[Dave]

About 35 years ago some Marine buddies and I held our own jalapeno contest. This was in Yuma, Arizona, so it was appropriate. We gathered at this great restaurant named Chretin's. They had names on the walls for those eating the most nachos covered in jalapenos. I lost. But I think I ate the equivalent of 5 or 6 whole peppers guzzling beer with them. The next morning was epic in it's discomfort.