Big Glizzy has canceled an American Icon this week, as Joey Chestnut will no longer compete in the annual Nathan’s Hot Dog eating contest over vegan hotdogs.
Yes, you heard me correctly. The 16-time winner of the contest, and winner of every single contest since 2016, due to recently striking a four-year, 1.2 million dollar contract he signed with Impossible Foods, which just recently rolled out its “impossible hot dogs,” which are made from, you guessed it- plants. This deal allows him to make more money than the typical 200K payment he’s received for his appearance at the contest each year, but even then, this is a grave mistake.
This news is monumental, to say the least, as the goat of professional eating can no longer compete in his Super Bowl, his World Series, his moment. It’s gone. A man who set the record in eating 76 dogs in one sitting back in 2021 and who routinely hits the 60 range, beating his opponents with absolute ease, can’t do what he does best all because of a plant-based glizzy?
I understand that Nathan’s is the sponsor of this event and has met Joey's many different needs, including letting him compete in a rival Labor Day glitzy eating contest as long as no hot dog brands were mentioned in the taping (rather interesting as there are hundreds of hot dog brands in the United States, but as soon as one gets mentioned, it’s a problem). However, eating vegan franks is where the line is drawn.
It isn’t like plant-based food is a brand new thing, as there are plenty of plant-based meats, steaks, seafood, and even eggs available to the general public. In fact, these plant-based options showed dieticians that those who consumed plant-based meats fell below the daily requirements for calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, and vitamin B12. Plus, those eating these foods exceeded the reference values for sugar, saturated fat, and sugar.
Whether Joey Chestnut is consuming real or fake glizzy should not matter when it comes down to letting him compete in Nathan’s hot dog contest. He is the best of the best in what he does. Taking him away leads to more opportunities for the folks who would finish behind him, but it takes the spark and energy away from such a prestigious event as it won’t have its captain leading the charge.
Anything can happen from now until the day of the event, but if this is it, then so long, my king. May you make our own Jackson Gross proud and eat all the vegan dogs your heart desires.
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