Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest Still Lopsided Without Kobayashi

The Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest has become a Fourth of July tradition. It is also a newfound tradition for Joey Chestnut to win the contest, keeping America as the hot dog eating capital of the world. That didn't always used to be the case, as Japan and Takeru Kobayashi used to hold bragging rights. But Kobayashi doesn't appear at Coney Island anymore, leaving Chestnut with little competition. He won his fifth straight title Monday.

Without Kobayashi to face off against, Chestnut's only competition is history these days. As such, his 62 hot dogs was relatively unimpressive compared to the 68 he ate in 2009 to set a world record. But it was easily more than enough to beat the field this year, as the only other man who could challenge Chestnut was at the Empire State Building.

Kobayashi no longer appears at the Nathan's contest due to a contractual dispute with the event. It culminated in his arrest in 2010, when he disrupted the proceedings after Chestnut won his fourth straight title. To get back at him and the event this year, Kobayashi ate his own hot dogs in a special showing, unofficially breaking Chesnut's world record with 69 dogs.

It is unlikely to count in the official record books, especially since Kobayashi is unlikely to come back to Coney Island and make an official run. Although he made hot dog eating a Fourth of July tradition, Chestnut is now carrying the torch for America, and he is doing so all by himself now.

The Chestnut-Kobayashi rivalry is unlike any other in sports, especially since it seems to have been suspended for good. But although "Major League Eating" is on the outs with Kobayashi, it may ultimately suffer without him. Tennis would suffer big time if Rafael Nadal wasn't allowed to challenge Roger Federer anymore, or if Novak Djokovic couldn't face either of them.

The hot dog circuit is more like cycling, which has also been dominated by two competitors in the last decade. But Lance Armstrong is now persona non grata in that sport, just as Kobayashi is in his, although Armstrong is the only one accused of cheating. Chestnut is now comparable to Alberto Contador, although Contador is now being accused of doping and cheating himself.

If Chestnut was ever caught cheating, or if he got into a dispute with Major League Eating, then the Nathan's hot dog eating contest would be in massive trouble. It could survive the loss of Kobayashi because Chestnut had already taken over the sport, but right now there are no real successors to the throne. The rest of the field has had two straight years to catch him and hasn't come close, and things don't look too good for 2012 either.

Sources

Reuters- "Perennial champion again wins hot dog eating contest"

Deadspin- "Kobayashi Somehow Sets A New, Totally Unofficial Hot Dog Eating Record"