Major League Eating
Encyclopedia
Major League Eating is a franchise that sanctions professional competitive eating
events and competitive eating television specials. The purported mission of Major League Eating is to maintain a safe environment for all events, while also seeking to create a dynamic and enjoyable fan experience. The league airs its annual Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest
on ESPN
.
George and Richard Shea (brothers) took over Nathan's publicity in the mid-1990s and were able to not only increase the exposure and attendance of Nathan's hot dog eating contest, but with the huge success in bringing popularity to their eating contest they completely revolutionize the eating contest sport as more companies sought to take advantage of their marketing success. Seeing the perfect business opportunity, the brothers founded International Federation of Competitive Eating
(IFOCE) in 1997 to oversee/regulate/organize events/tv deals. IFOCE later changed its name to "Major League Eating" (MLE). The brothers still represent Nathan's.
Renowned eaters Takeru Kobayashi
, Joey Chestnut
, Sonya Thomas
, and Patrick Bertoletti
have all been Major League Eaters, however issues regarding contracts as well as treatment of the eaters have plagued the league in recent years, with Kobayashi leaving the league in an acrimonious dispute. Each year Major League Eating has many live and televised events. Major League Eating coordinates events in the United States
, Japan
, England
, Germany
, Canada
, Ireland
, Thailand
and Ukraine
.
On June 28, 2010, Takeru Kobayashi announced he would not compete in the Nathan's Fourth of July hot dog eating competition
due to a labor impasse with Major League Eating over the stipulation that he could only compete in contests sanctioned by MLE. For the nine previous years, Kobayashi agreed to sign the same contract presented to him by MLE. Kobayashi, a six-time Nathan's winner, was in attendance at the contest, watching from the crowd. When he ran onto the stage after the contest, he was forcibly taken into custody by police. Major League Eating elected not to press charges. A Brooklyn judge later vacated all charges against him. The incident led to Nathan's removing Kobayashi's photo from their Wall of Fame.
On July 4, 2011 Takeru Kobayashi held a hot dog eating event at the same time as the annual Nathan's Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest in an effort to get publicity. Kobayashi claimed he ate 69 hot dogs to establish a new world record. A video of Kobayashi's attempt later surfaced showing a clear miscount. At one point Kobayashi is seen throwing a half of hot dog behind his table. Outlets including CNBC and Gothamist reported that Kobayashi had eaten 65 hot dogs and not 69 as he claimed. Joey Chestnut, reigning world record holder told reporters "I think even Kobayashi would agree that the record still stands at 68. And if he wants to compete with me on the Fourth of July, he knows what he has to do - sign a simple contract and man up." On September 5, 2011, Kobayashi competed in another hot dog contest in which he consumed 49 hot dogs in 10 minutes.
Competitive eating
Competitive eating, or speed eating, is a sport in which participants compete against each other to consume large quantities of food in a short time period. Contests are typically less than 15 minutes in length, with the person consuming the most food being declared the winner...
events and competitive eating television specials. The purported mission of Major League Eating is to maintain a safe environment for all events, while also seeking to create a dynamic and enjoyable fan experience. The league airs its annual Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest
Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
The Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest is an annual American competitive-eating competition, which is run as a publicity gathering event by Shea Communications. It is held each July 4 at Nathan's Famous Corporation's original, and best-known restaurant at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in...
on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
.
George and Richard Shea (brothers) took over Nathan's publicity in the mid-1990s and were able to not only increase the exposure and attendance of Nathan's hot dog eating contest, but with the huge success in bringing popularity to their eating contest they completely revolutionize the eating contest sport as more companies sought to take advantage of their marketing success. Seeing the perfect business opportunity, the brothers founded International Federation of Competitive Eating
International Federation of Competitive Eating
The International Federation of Competitive Eating, Inc. is an organization that supervises and regulates eating contests across the globe, acting as a central resource for the sport. Top events include the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, La Costena "Feel the Heat" Jalapeno Eating Challenge, and...
(IFOCE) in 1997 to oversee/regulate/organize events/tv deals. IFOCE later changed its name to "Major League Eating" (MLE). The brothers still represent Nathan's.
Renowned eaters Takeru Kobayashi
Takeru Kobayashi
is a Japanese competitive eater. He held the world record for hot dog eating for nearly six years, and holds several other eating records, including four Guinness Records for hot dogs, meatballs, hamburgers, and pasta....
, Joey Chestnut
Joey Chestnut
Joseph Christian "Jaws" Chestnut is an American competitive eater. The , engineering student is currently ranked first in the world by the International Federation of Competitive Eating...
, Sonya Thomas
Sonya Thomas
Sonya Thomas , also known by her nickname The Black Widow, is a top-ranked Korean-born American competitive eater from Alexandria, Virginia. Thomas joined the International Federation of Competitive Eating in 2003 and quickly rose to the top of the ranks, beating competitive eaters such as Ed...
, and Patrick Bertoletti
Patrick Bertoletti
Patrick "Deep Dish" Bertoletti is an American competitive eater from Chicago. He is ranked second in the International Federation of Competitive Eating...
have all been Major League Eaters, however issues regarding contracts as well as treatment of the eaters have plagued the league in recent years, with Kobayashi leaving the league in an acrimonious dispute. Each year Major League Eating has many live and televised events. Major League Eating coordinates events in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
.
On June 28, 2010, Takeru Kobayashi announced he would not compete in the Nathan's Fourth of July hot dog eating competition
Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
The Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest is an annual American competitive-eating competition, which is run as a publicity gathering event by Shea Communications. It is held each July 4 at Nathan's Famous Corporation's original, and best-known restaurant at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in...
due to a labor impasse with Major League Eating over the stipulation that he could only compete in contests sanctioned by MLE. For the nine previous years, Kobayashi agreed to sign the same contract presented to him by MLE. Kobayashi, a six-time Nathan's winner, was in attendance at the contest, watching from the crowd. When he ran onto the stage after the contest, he was forcibly taken into custody by police. Major League Eating elected not to press charges. A Brooklyn judge later vacated all charges against him. The incident led to Nathan's removing Kobayashi's photo from their Wall of Fame.
On July 4, 2011 Takeru Kobayashi held a hot dog eating event at the same time as the annual Nathan's Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest in an effort to get publicity. Kobayashi claimed he ate 69 hot dogs to establish a new world record. A video of Kobayashi's attempt later surfaced showing a clear miscount. At one point Kobayashi is seen throwing a half of hot dog behind his table. Outlets including CNBC and Gothamist reported that Kobayashi had eaten 65 hot dogs and not 69 as he claimed. Joey Chestnut, reigning world record holder told reporters "I think even Kobayashi would agree that the record still stands at 68. And if he wants to compete with me on the Fourth of July, he knows what he has to do - sign a simple contract and man up." On September 5, 2011, Kobayashi competed in another hot dog contest in which he consumed 49 hot dogs in 10 minutes.
See also
- International Federation of Competitive EatingInternational Federation of Competitive EatingThe International Federation of Competitive Eating, Inc. is an organization that supervises and regulates eating contests across the globe, acting as a central resource for the sport. Top events include the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, La Costena "Feel the Heat" Jalapeno Eating Challenge, and...
- Major League Eating: The GameMajor League Eating: The GameMajor League Eating: The Game is a video game for WiiWare developed by Sensory Sweep Studios, and produced by Mastiff. The first video game to be based around competitive eating, it was released in North America on July 14, 2008, and in Japan on March 24, 2009. It costs 1000 Wii Points and takes...