Competitive Eater Strikes Deal With Rival Event

Joey Chestnut Banned from Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest

Competitive Eater Strikes Deal with Rival Event

Joey Chestnut, the reigning champion of Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest, has been banned from this year's event after signing an exclusive deal with a rival competition.

Nathan's organizers announced Tuesday that Chestnut would not be allowed to participate in the July 4th contest, citing a violation of their exclusivity agreement. Chestnut had recently signed a deal with Major League Eating, which will host a competing hot dog eating event on the same day.

Chestnut has won the Nathan's contest 15 times, including a record-breaking 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes in 2021. His absence from this year's event is a major blow to the competition, which has become a Fourth of July tradition.

Major League Eating has defended its decision to sign Chestnut, arguing that it is standard practice in the competitive eating industry for athletes to have exclusive contracts with multiple events. The organization also claims that Nathan's is attempting to monopolize the sport.