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2009 NATHANS HOT DOG EATING CONTEST
Current Odds and Predictions
Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest is the Super Bowl of all eating events. It is held annually on July 4, and will be contested for the 94th time in 2009. It began as a contest between immigrants to decide who was more patriotic. The event is sanctioned by the International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE). In 2006 over 1.5 million people watched the contest via ESPN, and 30,000 saw the hot dog eating contest live. I expect the viewership to top 2 million this year. People won't just be watching the event, they'll be betting on the event as sportsbooks have been posting odds on this event for some time now. One such sportsbook, is Sportsbook.com
I hate when people say certain things are not sports. Being a horse racing
fan first and foremost, I hear this very often. The same is often said of poker,
UFC, video games, and hot dog eating contests. The latter is one of the most
exciting events you may ever witness. There is nothing quite like watching a
small man eat 50 hotdogs in about 10 minutes. Even more amazing is watching men
of massive weight lose in the early stages of the competition.
Last year’s contest was a rematch between Takeru Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut.
The former had won the contest six consecutive times before the latter won the
previous year to end his streak. It ended in a tie with each man downing 59 dogs
each. The tiebreaker saw the swifter Chestnut defend his title by eating five
hot dogs faster than Kobayashi. Chestnut was awarded the famous Mustard Belt and
$10,000 top prize for winning, and Kobyashi received $5,000 for his runner up
performance.
Takeru “Tsunami” Kobayashi is one of the greatest competitive eaters to have
ever lived. He hails from Japan and stands 5’ 8” and weighs between 128 and 165
lbs. depending upon whether or not he is competing. He is currently ranked third
in the world by the IFOCE and he held the record for most hot dogs eaten for
nearly six years. He holds numerous records. He was able to eat 20 lbs. of rice
balls in just thirty minutes. He devoured 58 bratwurst sausages in 15 minutes.
Perhaps his oddest record came when he ate 17.7 lbs. of cow brains in 15
minutes. On May 31, 2009 he beat Joey Chesnut in a Pizza Hut P’Zone eating
contest. He is truly a phenomenal eater.
Joey Chestnut is not an ordinary college student. He pays his college tuition by
eating large amounts of food in very short periods of time. His talent is quite
amazing. Joey “Jaws” Chesnut has won the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest for two
years in a row and is currently ranked 1st in the world by the IFOCE. The 25
year old stands 6’ 2” tall and weighs 210 pounds. He had his first hot dog at
the age of five years old and truly loves eating. He is particularly good at
eating wings. He proved this in 2007 when he ate 182 chicken wings in 30 minutes
setting a new record in the process. February 21, 2009 he consumed over 10.5 lbs
of macaroni and cheese in just 7 minutes.
The wagering is very even on Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. Defending champion
Joey “Jaws” Chestnut is currently -120 to win the contest. Japanese phenom
Takeru “Tsunami” Kobayashi is -110 to win the event. If you like an outsider
like Pat “Deep Dish” Bertoletti you will get even better odds. The Field has
been tabbed at +1000. I like Kobayashi to win. He is the most experienced in the
contest and has been doing well in recent contests. I would back up a wager on
him with a small bet on the field considering the generous odds. Good luck and
tune in to ESPN on July 4 to witness the 94th contest of Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating
Contest!