Should hot dog eating competition hero Joey Chestnut be included in greatest 'athlete' debate?

that competitive eating is"almost a parody of a sport. Here is a person exercising some skill – I suppose in some sense – but at the same time, doing it in the service of something that's just drawing attention to the organic body."

In ESPN's 30 for 30 documentary,"The Good, the Bad, the Hungry," Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest chairman and M.C. George Shea expressed his desire to turn competitive eating into a respected sport, on par with professional wrestling – hence how the annual"Mustard Yellow Belt" was created. Shea helped bolster the popularity of the hot dog contest by launching the Major League Eating federation – then the International Federation of Competitive Eating.

So if there's one measuring stick to consider, perhaps it's popularity based on numbers of viewers and spectators. The thousands of people that usually flock to Coney Island had to watch from home this year, with the competition being held at a safe location to address coronavirus pandemic concerns; eaters were wearing masks to enter and were 6 feet apart, separated by plexiglass.

But is that just good marketing around an American holiday that's synonymous with eating hot dogs? Shea saidthat people are drawn to competitors like Chestnut and Japanese sensation Takeru Kobayashi because they're"heroes." Chestnut's greatness in his own sport isn't debatable. But deciphering whether his accomplishments are worthy of going up against sports legends is another debate that's likely to be based on subjective viewpoints. Wherever opinions lie, it's clear Independence Day is the one time each year Chestnut gets to be decorated and adorned as a sports hero.

No

What he calls a sport I call Tuesday

Entertaining for some, but gorging oneself with food is not a sport.

Is it a sport? Or an activity?

Gross

NO!!!

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