There are a lot of non-traditional sports that have emerged onto the landscape in the last few years. Unless you have been in a coma or living in the PRK, you probably have noticed that there seems to be an eagerness to have Poker shows takeover makeover shows as the concept television producers would like to beat to death.
And while the folks here at TVgasm believe there will always be a place for poker (wouldn't you like to be at the table where Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton are throwing out their wagers?), we would like to highlight a more traditional pastime - competitive eating. Yes, for years, competitive eating has been a staple of summer. While there will always be people out there trying to outgorge others with pizza, pies, and chicken wings, we must always defer to the grandaddy of them all - the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog eating contest.
Now, some of you are probably snickering, but competitive eating is no joke. They have their own website complete with safety standards and an intriguing history. Once a spot relegated to 2 AM on ESPN2 or the George Michael sports machine, this year's contest was shown today at noon eastern time on ESPN. You've come a long way, baby...
Competitive eating is not the bastion of overstuffed Americans gloating in their excess. In fact, the Nathan's competition has not been won by an American since 1999, and only once in the last 10 years. Like many other industries the Japanese have shown that their efficiency will prevail. How else do you explain the success of Takeru "The Tsunami" Kobayashi at this year's games? At 132 lbs, Kobayashi ate a Bob Beamon-like 53 and 1/2 hot dogs in 12 minutes, beating his own record. The second place contestant, also from Japan, mustard, errr, mustered only 38. The closest American, Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas, took third with 32 dogs, breaking the woman's record as well as the american record, despite tipping the scales at only 105 lbs.
And much like the automakers made a comeback after the Japanese ate their lunch, American competitive eaters won't take their rivals domination sitting down. Eric "Badlands" Booker, a 6-foot-4, 400-pound subway conductor summed it up nicely :"We aren't going to stop until we bring the belt back."
Read the full story at Yahoo News.
« Separated At Birth? The Case of Chris and Paulie | Main | Bunim/Murray Carts Out Dead Horse, Beats It »
46