Wagering on Wieners at Hot Dog Eating Contest
June 19, 2007
There?s the Super Bowl, and the Final Four, and the World Series. And then there?s Nathan?s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest.
The people who wolf down wieners at the July 4th Hot Dog Eating Contest may not seem like athletes, but their annual competition is an increasingly popular spectator sport. At last summer?s event, 30,000 fans were on hand at the original Nathan?s on Coney Island, and live coverage on ESPN drew a 1.5 rating (1.5 million households).
And the hot-dog inhaling hype could reach a new high in 2007, as American Joey Chestnut, who just recently set a new world record, is favored to out-eat reigning champ Takeru Kobayashi of Japan.
betED Props has Chestnut slightly favored at -145 with Kobayashi at -110.
At betED.com, you can also wager on the winning wiener count ? Over 58 dogs, -120, Under 58 dogs -120.
Last July 4th, Chestnut ate 52 Nathan?s hot dogs and buns in the 12-minute contest, nearly dethroning Kobayashi, who ate 53.75 hot dogs and buns, securing his sixth straight title.
The Independence Day event is actually the culmination of a qualifying tour that began March 24th in Sunrise, Florida. There were a dozen stops on the circuit, including Charlotte, NC, Philadelphia, PA, Las Vegas, NV, Atlanta, GA, and Tokyo, Japan. The winner of each qualifying round advances to the Nathan?s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest.
Chestnut, 23, of San Jose, is on a roll heading into the showdown. On June 2, he shattered the record held by Kobayashi by downing 59? "HDBs" ? hot dogs and buns ? during a qualifying event, the Southwest Regional Hot Dog Eating Championship at the Arizona Mills Mall in Tempe.
The International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE) has overseen the contest since 1997 when the federation was formed.
During the contest, up to 20 contestants stand on a raised platform behind a 30-foot-long table with hot dogs and drinks. Most contestants choose water as their drinks, but other kinds of drinks can and have been used. Condiments are optional and are usually not used. After the hot dogs are grilled they are allowed to cool slightly so as not to cause any burning when eaten. Whoever eats (and keeps down) the most hot dogs and buns in 12 minutes is the winner.
According to local legend, on July 4, 1916, four immigrants had a hot dog-eating contest at the site of the first Nathan's Famous stand (at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues on Coney Island) to settle an argument about who was the most patriotic. After 12 minutes, James Mullen had eaten 13 hot dogs and was crowned the victor. A contest has been held every July the 4th since then.
June 19, 2007
There?s the Super Bowl, and the Final Four, and the World Series. And then there?s Nathan?s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest.
The people who wolf down wieners at the July 4th Hot Dog Eating Contest may not seem like athletes, but their annual competition is an increasingly popular spectator sport. At last summer?s event, 30,000 fans were on hand at the original Nathan?s on Coney Island, and live coverage on ESPN drew a 1.5 rating (1.5 million households).
And the hot-dog inhaling hype could reach a new high in 2007, as American Joey Chestnut, who just recently set a new world record, is favored to out-eat reigning champ Takeru Kobayashi of Japan.
betED Props has Chestnut slightly favored at -145 with Kobayashi at -110.
At betED.com, you can also wager on the winning wiener count ? Over 58 dogs, -120, Under 58 dogs -120.
Last July 4th, Chestnut ate 52 Nathan?s hot dogs and buns in the 12-minute contest, nearly dethroning Kobayashi, who ate 53.75 hot dogs and buns, securing his sixth straight title.
The Independence Day event is actually the culmination of a qualifying tour that began March 24th in Sunrise, Florida. There were a dozen stops on the circuit, including Charlotte, NC, Philadelphia, PA, Las Vegas, NV, Atlanta, GA, and Tokyo, Japan. The winner of each qualifying round advances to the Nathan?s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest.
Chestnut, 23, of San Jose, is on a roll heading into the showdown. On June 2, he shattered the record held by Kobayashi by downing 59? "HDBs" ? hot dogs and buns ? during a qualifying event, the Southwest Regional Hot Dog Eating Championship at the Arizona Mills Mall in Tempe.
The International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE) has overseen the contest since 1997 when the federation was formed.
During the contest, up to 20 contestants stand on a raised platform behind a 30-foot-long table with hot dogs and drinks. Most contestants choose water as their drinks, but other kinds of drinks can and have been used. Condiments are optional and are usually not used. After the hot dogs are grilled they are allowed to cool slightly so as not to cause any burning when eaten. Whoever eats (and keeps down) the most hot dogs and buns in 12 minutes is the winner.
According to local legend, on July 4, 1916, four immigrants had a hot dog-eating contest at the site of the first Nathan's Famous stand (at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues on Coney Island) to settle an argument about who was the most patriotic. After 12 minutes, James Mullen had eaten 13 hot dogs and was crowned the victor. A contest has been held every July the 4th since then.
