You Can't Avoid Boyd

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Hot Dogs

There is not a prouder day to be an American than on July 4^th, Independence Day. Honoring all of the U.S. troops for everything they have sacrificed and their on-going efforts to protect our freedom, enjoying a day of barbecue with friends and loved ones, culminating with a sky full of fireworks. Luckily, we have one more American tradition to observe on this important date, watching Joey Chestnut eat a shitload of hot dogs.

Starting in 1916, Nathan’s Hot Dog stand in Coney Island, NY has been the host to the famous hot dog eating competition every Fourth of July. The competition was relatively under the radar until two things happened: Takeru Kobayashi ate 50 hot dogs in 2001 (doubling the event record at the time) and ESPN started broadcasting the event in 2004. Since then, this event has become a national event. Three moments stand out for me about the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest:

1. Kobayashi dominated the event from 2001 to 2005, winning each year by a huge margin. In 2006, Kobayashi won again, but only beat 2^nd place finisher Joey Chestnut by two hot dogs. Americans knew if there was any chance to have a local win this event, Chestnut was our only hope. In 2007, Chestnut bested Kobayashi to win his first of five consecutive Nathan’s events.

2. In 2010, Chestnut won again, but without Kobayashi competing. Due to a new rule at the event, only competitors signed with Major League Eating could compete. Afterwards, Kobayashi, in attendance as a spectator as he refused to sign a contract, kamikazied his way on stage after Chestnut won for reasons unknown and was later arrested for resisting arrest and trespassing.

3. Every other year where some guy ate more hot dogs than some other guys/girls.

Some of you might be genuinely shocked that Marcus Boyd is writing about something as trivial as competitive eating, but I still choose to dedicate my weekly blog post to it for two reasons: Americans can’t get enough of it and some consider this a sport.

Don’t think we enjoy watching competitive eating? Adam Richman is a celebrity for going around the U.S. and taking on eating challenges, of either the spicy or volume variety. He now hosts a show where he picks and trains a local resident to take on a specific eating challenge. It also seems every restaurant/bar has an eating challenge these days, in order to capitalize on the “Man vs. Food” craze. I’ve gotten swept up in it and now have a free t-shirt from Hamilton’s (http://hamiltonsdc.com/menu.html) after I dominated their “Fat Boy Burger Challenge”. To quote my celebrity twin, in the everlasting quest between burger and man, the Fat Boy may have defeated many, but on that glorious night, the Fat Boy had no chance on Boyd. Boyd 1, food 0.

As for competitive eating being a sport, some will argue that it is and some will argue “No fucking way”. I view competitive eating as I view golf, NASCAR, horse racing, and cheerleading. It’s not a sport but it is a specialized skill. Not everyone can do it at a competitive level, but in no way does it make a sport. At the same time, I can appreciate Rory McIlroy shooting under par for four rounds at the U.S. Open, just like I can appreciate Jimmie Johnson winning the Sprint Cup Series for the fifth straight year or Joey Chestnut trying to set the world record for eating ham sandwiches. They all involve hard work and dedication to their respective crafts. At the same time, I will not be comparing them to Gretzky or Jordan ever.

Joey Chestnut , continue consuming 20,000 calories in 10 minutes, while living the American dream. God bless you and God bless America!

              -Written by Marcus Boyd