An American Tragedy

Come July 5, the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues on Coney Island is nothing but a remnant to a different era, a time when marbles could hold a kids attention and smoking Lucky Strikes was what a man did and when baseball was America’s Game. On that corner stands Nathan’s Famous original restaurant, home of the hot dog. Coney Island Beach and Boardwalk are visible from Nathan’s and only a short walk down Stillwell. The home of the old Steeplechase Park, the last amusement park on Coney Island, which shut its doors back in 1964, is just a short walk down Surf Avenue. It is now home to the Brooklyn Cyclones, a New York Mets farm team, though the Parachute Jump still remains. There are still amusement arcades and the odd ride but what was once the home of New York day-trippers is now a rundown vestige of a bygone time. A century back and Surf Avenue was packed with young lovers and excitable kids and old-time raconteurs. Then came air conditioning and the automobile, gang trouble and a series of fires and Coney Island became a sad temple to an America and a New York City of yesteryear.

The only difference between July 5 and nearly every other day of the year at Surf and Stillwell is an excess of what locals call HDB waste. HDB stands for, of course, hot dog and bun. Every July 5, Surf and Stillwell and nearly every surrounding block are covered in Nathan’s wrappers and bun crumbs and ketchup sachets and mustard stains. The locals don’t mind though. For one day Coney Island is transformed into the place to be, just as it was in the days before Jay Gatsby made it rich. A day of heavy cleaning seems like a blessing.

Every July 4, crowds flock to Coney Island by car and by subway and by ferry. They come from near and they come from far. It is America’s day of independence but, strangely, it was a gangly Japanese showman that drew them in. The strange mix of sideshow freakishness and extravagant patriotism has become a phenomenon in modern day Americana.

Legend has it that Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest came into being far more naturally than any hot dog ever consumed when four immigrants staged a competition to determine who was the most patriotic. What better way to do so than to do so through the consumption of the hot dog. All four immigrants had essentially understood what drove America and still does nearly a century on: excess and competition. That first eating extravaganza was won by Irishman Jim Mullen, who knocked down 13 hot dogs in 12 minutes to etch his name into American lore.

The history of the event up until 1980 can be described as sketchy at best. It is believed the contest has been held every year bar 1941, where it was cancelled to protest the war, and in 1971, where free love was honoured with the bypassing of the annual tradition. In 1972, college student Jason Schechter won the title with 14 dogs. His prize was a voucher for 40 more of Nathan’s finest. Six years later and the mythical eating marvel Walter Paul broke the world record by consuming 17 dogs. It was a record that stood for 13 magical years while Paul went into hot dog hiding. To this day his whereabouts are unknown though many in the business of competitive eating believe he occasionally pops up at regional eating contests under an assumed name and disguise. Some of the old-time gastronomy scouts are adamant they have seen him eat in places as far away as Des Moines, Iowa and Vernon, Alabama. Like “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, he is thought to tread the highways doing what he loves.

In 1980, Paul Siederman and Joe Baldini were the first joint champions after the inaugural eat-off couldn’t separate them. A year later the contest was compromised when winner Thomas DeBerry stopped consuming after five minutes to attend a family barbeque. DeBerry was banned from competitive eating for life.

1991 is often viewed as the starting point in the rise of competitive eating. Frank Dellarosa smashed the world record with 21 ½ dogs and over the next five years only Dellarosa, Mike Devito and Ed Krachie would walk away victorious. Interest in competitive eating was on the rise and the hot dog was the pinnacle of the sport. That interest began to spike when the title of champion hot dog eater went to Japan. In 1997, Hirofumi Nakajima broke the world record with 24 ½ dogs and he backed up his title with a win in 1998. In 2000, the Japanese took all three podium positions and competitive eating in the United States was in crisis. This became a matter of national pride.

Then came along a young gurgitator from Japan named Takeru Kobayashi who not only saved a sport many consider America’s game of the new millennium but sent it rocketing into the stratosphere of public consciousness. Kobayashi was to professional eating what Hulk Hogan was to wrestling, Dally Messenger was to rugby league and Arnold Palmer was to golf. Kobayashi turned competitive eating into a sight to behold even if it is a little stomach-churning to watch. When Kobayashi ate, the world looked on.

Astonishingly in 2001, Kobayashi, weighing it at around only 70kg, knocked back 50 hot dogs in 12 minutes at a rate of 4.16/minute to double the world record. As he raised the Mustard Yellow Belt above his head, everyone in competitive eating knew a superstar had arrived and that the sport was on the verge of a rapid ascension.

Kobayashi would win Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest every year between 2001 and 2006, a record six straight titles. In 2002, 2004 and 2006 he broke his own world record, leaving it at 54. Over his first five championships, his average margin of victory was 17 hot dogs. He was the undisputed king of professional eating. The Mustard Yellow Belt rested in Japan’s Imperial Palace and Kobayashi became an iconic figure in both his homeland and the United States. In 2002, Fox ran a competitive eating special titled Glutton Bowl, won by Kobayashi, who polished off 2.3kg of cow brain in the final. The special aired as a direct result of the interest caused by Kobayashi’s immense eating abilities.

Even in defeat Kobayashi has helped push competitive eating to greater heights. When he was challenged and surpassed, at least in hot dog eating, he has driven the sport onwards and upwards. Joey “Jaws” Chestnut is the new king of the mountain, the champion of the hot dog and a modern day American hero. Chestnut has won four straight titles from 2007. He is beloved from Maine to San Diego. In claiming his first title, Jaws downed an astonishing 66 dogs. In 2008 he was taken to an eat off by Kobayashi but came out on top in a five-dog-first-to-finish race. In 2009, Chestnut finished 68 hot dogs in only 10 minutes, beating Kobi who downed 64 ½. This was a rivalry to challenge Ali and Frazier.

For a year, the competitive eating world awaited the next match-up. Both Jaws and Kobayashi were in preparation, physically and psychologically, for July 4, 2010. It was the Thriller in Manilla for lovers of the gurge. Between them, they had won the last nine Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Contests and had finished top two in the last five. Chestnut ranked one in the world with Kobayashi at three. Between them, Chestnut and Kobayashi hold 21 Major League Eating world records with Chestnut the master of such foods as shrimp wontons (380 in 8 minutes), Philly Cheese-Steaks (19 6-inch sandwiches in 10 minutes), jalapeno poppers (118 in 10 minutes), Krystal’s hamburgers (103 in 8 minutes) and grilled cheese sandwiches (47 in 8 minutes) while Kobayashi is the king of the rice balls (20 pounds in 30 minutes), lobster rolls (41 in 10 minutes), cow brains (17.7 pounds in 15 minutes) and bratwursts (58 in 10 minutes). More importantly, Kobayashi and Chestnut have been going for the jugular for years. Kobayashi showed no respect for Chestnut when Jaws claimed the record. Chestnut has questioned Kobayashi’s manhood.

These are the two greatest eaters of all-time and there clash on July 4, beamed around the world on ESPN and watched by over 1 million people annually in the U.S, was as hotly anticipated as any event in American sport. As many as 40,000 people are estimated to hit Surf and Stillwell on July 4 in even the most oppressive heat and horrendous conditions. Many in the industry claim that it will one day surpass the Super Bowl in terms of popularity with television executives manoeuvring for the rights when the television deal next comes up.

The world was left devastated this year, however, when Kobayashi was banned from competing. The Japanese superstar was involved in a labour dispute with Major League Eating, refusing to sign on with the organisation because MLE would not let him compete in non-sanctioned events without paying a 20% fee. As a result, Chestnut won the dullest contest in a decade knocking down what can only be considered these days a lowly 54 dogs. There was no Kobayashi to push Chestnut to new and exciting and possibly fatal levels.

It was an American tragedy. The growth of a sport was stymied by greed not of the food type. Its messiah and first true crossover superstar was banished. The faithful left unfulfilled.

While the 2010 contest may have been on the dour side, the day was not without spectacle. Soon after Chestnut won his fourth straight crown in what can only be described as a canter, Kobayashi charged the stage wearing a “Free Kobi” t-shirt and demanding to be able to eat. According to the New York Daily News he “went berserk” and when security and then as the NYPD tried to arrest him he resisted with force. The onlooking crowd were stunned. This was how the legend of their sport was treated on America’s most venerable day, squashed by the forces of totalitarianism as he fought for his rights as an individual. The hypocrisy of the MLE cannot be overstated.

Kobayashi was detained in a Brooklyn prison for 24 hours. He was, he claims, fed only a single sandwich. He has been charged with resisting arrest, obstruction of governmental administration, trespassing and disorderly conduct. Kobayashi may now have his visa revoked if found guilty of any or all of the charges. Kobayashi is bringing an antitrust suit against MLE, a case that sports law experts like Mark Conrad believe he will win because “Kobayashi has a legitimate argument that the agreement is anti-competitive” and that he would “be counting the days before litigation began”, but all that will count for little if he can never compete in the United States again.

Major League Eating has allowed all this to happen through greed, arrogance and a failure to recognise the contribution of the man that made competitive eating a money game. They showed no leniency to Kobayashi. They showed no mercy. And now he may never eat in competition again. That may be the most tragic sports story of the decade.

Eating needs Kobayashi. Joey Chestnut needs Kobayashi. The sporting public needs Kobayashi. To allow him to float off into the ether would leave even the most hard-hearted cynic with tears in his eyes and black in his heart. It is time to stop this madness and allow Kobayashi to eat again.