The 4th of July is here, and with it comes many yearly traditions — cookouts, fireworks, lawn games, and Major League Baseball come to mind. Perhaps the most uniquely American ritual is the Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest (Tuesday at 11 a.m. ET, ESPN). The titans of the men’s and women’s side — the GOATs of frankfurter feasting and heavy favorites to each devour another W on Tuesday — are Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo.
The annual eating competition, an official 4th of July tradition since the 1970s, has unofficially served as a Coney Island staple for over 100 years. The world champions of wiener-wolfing have been crowned exclusively at Nathan’s iconic original restaurant except in 2020 and ’21 when the event took place in alternate sites.
Just like last year, the contest will be right where it should be on the Fourth: on the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in Brooklyn’s Coney Island neighborhood. And just like the past three years, we’re back to bet on this wildly popular event that simultaneously screams “‘Merica!” and has us reaching for antacids in sympathy as we watch in awestruck horror.
Let’s discuss the background of Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest from a betting standpoint, further discuss the competitors, and then…
