Breaking Up Over…Hot Dogs
Joey Chestnut’s brand and fame is built primarily on participating in one nationally-famous annual event — Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. That relationship has experienced a breakup , at least this Fourth of July.
The 16-time champion decided now was a time to cash in his marketability to “represent another hot dog brand,” according to Major League Eating (Yes, that’s an actual organization!), MLE for short.
Chestnut consumed a record 76 hot dogs and buns in 2021. Last year, he underperformed, if you like, and finished off 62.
Chesnut has been disinvited from the Nathan’s contest at New York City’s Coney Island next month, which seems as damaging to the event, its fans and the media who love to see him, because he is “competitive eating’s (yes, that is a thing!) biggest star, who is known as ‘Jaws” and has won the event eight years in a row,” writes David Purdum at ESPN.
Chesnut has signed an agreement with Impossible Foods, which sells plant-based (the horror!) hot dogs, which is, Purdum writes, a “competing company to Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs.”
“It would be like Michael Jordan saying to Nike, ‘I’m going to represent Adidas, too,’” MLE event organizer George Shea overstated.
Chestnut was hurt by the decision even if he didn’t think to run this opportunity and sponsorship deal by MLE first.
“I love competing in that event, I love celebrating America with my fans all over this great country on the 4th and I have been training to defend my title,” Chestnut said on X, formerly Twitter. “… Sadly, this is the decision Nathan’s and Major League Eating are making, and it will deprive the great fans of the holiday’s usual joy and entertainment.”
Truth Bomb: Yes, Joey Chesnut can say that Nathan’s and Major League Eating took those hot dogs right out of my mouth, but he contributed to that outcome with his decision to make money off a competitor of the brand that puts on the show.
Truth Bomb II: Nathan’s will go on and survive without Chesnut. A new winner might even be good for the event. Yet the event may not draw near as much attention because Chesnut was the event for many fans and media. He was the contestant that people wanted to see and wonder, “will he win again, did he win again, how many did he eat this year?”
Impossible Foods defended Chesnut.
It told ESPN that they support him “in any contest he chooses” and that “meat eaters shouldn’t have to be exclusive to just one wiener,” Purdum writes.
Yes, they said it. Yes, it was cleverly done. Keep it fun, get people talking.
Major League Eating was far less impressed with Chesnut.
It said it was “devastated” to find out that Chestnut “has chosen to represent a rival brand that sells plant-based hot dogs.”
This can’t be real, this story, can it? Devastated? The offense of eating plant-based hot dogs? Fans might however might agree that is a food crime.
This is where it gets more serious, some “real talk.”
“MLE and Nathan’s went to great lengths in recent months to accommodate Joey and his management team, agreeing to the appearance fee and allowing Joey to compete in a rival unbranded hot dog eating contest on Labor Day,” MLE said in its statement.
“For nearly two decades we have worked under the same basic hot dog exclusivity provisions. However, it seems that Joey and his managers have prioritized a new partnership with a different hot dog brand over our long-time relationship.”
Clearly, MLE feels betrayed, feels Chesnut and his management team “cheated” on it and Nathan’s. This is no joke. There are expectations, powerful currents of emotions and strong, hard feelings.
Chesnut and his management team hurt MLE and Nathan’s. They feel that he robbed them of his presence, their gate attraction and media darling.
That is going to be a hard, sharp conflict to resolve. Chesnut forfeited some trust to MLE, Nathan’s and likely the media who loved to report on him. Chesnut’s reputation is a little less impressive today.
Chestnut disagrees with what is being done.
He says that he doesn’t have a contract with MLE or Nathan’s, and “they are looking to change the rules from past years as it related to other partners I can work with,” Purdum reports.
MLE is leaving space for a reconciliation however:
“Joey Chestnut is an American hero,” MLE says. “We would love nothing more than to have him at the Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest, which he has dominated for years. We hope that he returns when he is not representing a rival brand.”
Simple, MLE infers: Break up with the other brand and come home, we love you and miss you.
Old flames are hard to get over sometimes. Maybe next year, the two parties will be singing, “Reunited and it feels so good.”
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Michael Toebe is a reputation consultant, advisor and communications specialist at Reputation Intelligence: Reputation Quality, assisting individuals and organizations with further building reputation as an asset or ethically and responsibly protecting, restoring or reconstructing it.
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