KMango Posted July 4, 2010 Posted July 4, 2010 is disgusting. "This thread is useless without pics*" (*not l33t-sp33k) (but an internet tradition) (nonetheless) So I found my own here. Competitive eating is a worse threat to health than perceived issues with HFCS, MSG, trans fat, sodium, etc., any day. Making mindless gluttony OK is a subtle cultural signal that reverberates through every 7-11 in the country. It's not only disgusting, we should "shame" it.
captcourt Posted July 4, 2010 Posted July 4, 2010 Yep. It's also disgusting when they get called "athletes." It's the whole culture of wanting to be famous for something, and it just doesn't matter what that something is. Glorifying the stuffing of one's face, while multitudes of people are getting by on very little to eat every day, or every other day, is just awful. It's also just disgusting to watch, if that was the original intent of this thread...
dcs Posted July 4, 2010 Posted July 4, 2010 is disgusting. The two who brought it to you; in today's NY Times "Sports" section.
Arcturus Posted July 5, 2010 Posted July 5, 2010 is disgusting. Is it? One one hand, the act itself can easily be seen as off-putting to many, and KMango makes some excellent points above. On the other, it's a physical competition like any other; one that requires hours of training and dedication for a person to excel. Competitive eaters are athletes in every sense of the word. What really differentiates competitive eating from, say, mixed martial arts? Or golf? Or chess? They're all individual sports that require a huge time commitment and physical and/or mental conditioning in order to excel.
DonRocks Posted July 5, 2010 Author Posted July 5, 2010 On the other, it's a physical competition like any other; one that requires hours of training and dedication for a person to excel. So is Topiary Shitting.
Joe H Posted July 5, 2010 Posted July 5, 2010 Here is a remarkable report which essentially says that George Shea didn't intervene with the arrest of Kobayashi who may be in jail as I type this. Read the article carefully for why he says that he couldn't sign the contract. Yet the six time winner is in the audience, his name is chanted and he climbs up on stage as a reaction. Then he's arrested for trespassing? Of interest is a report from the BBC that Joey Chestnut "in a post-eat interview reportedly said "if [Kobayashi] was a man he'd be up on stage", provoking Mr Kobayashi, who has been his main rival for the best part of a decade, the news agency Agence-France Presse reported." Here is the link. This is from USA Today with a video of the arrest. Again, just incredible that "Major League Eating" didn't intervene. Great association for Nathan's, Heinz and every other company that had their names on the wall behind the "eaters." I'm sure that they are not very happy right now. Disgusting association actually from every perspective. I can't believe that ESPN wants to televise this. All of these companies should be rethinking their involvement with this in the future. The direction it has gone in has nothing to do with enjoying food.
susanmab Posted July 5, 2010 Posted July 5, 2010 is disgusting. yes, yes it is. The very mention of it can make me shudder.
monavano Posted July 5, 2010 Posted July 5, 2010 Personally, I find it off-putting, but folks make a living doing it, and hey, there's an audience for it. I find it far more repugnant that pro (insert major sport here) players make more money that God and they average family can't even afford to watch in person. That's disgusting and something that I truly do not understand glorifying. I ain't an athlete, lady. I'm a ballplayer. "John Kruk Stats", Baseball-Almanac.com (accessed 2006-04-14)
Waitman Posted July 5, 2010 Posted July 5, 2010 Personally, I find it off-putting, but folks make a living doing it, and hey, there's an audience for it.... I Same can be said of crack dealers. My daughter and I found it amusing that they were broadcasting the Nathan's competition in the gym while we worked out. Bit of a mixed message.
monavano Posted July 5, 2010 Posted July 5, 2010 Same can be said of crack dealers. My daughter and I found it amusing that they were broadcasting the Nathan's competition in the gym while we worked out. Bit of a mixed message. Yup. There's something for everyone in our society. On a more food related note, I also find most of FN's "challenges" to be a colossal waste of food. Where does it all go?
dcs Posted July 5, 2010 Posted July 5, 2010 The direction it has gone in has nothing to do with enjoying food. I sort of feel the same way about Man v. Food, which I consider a form of competitive eating. I like the tours of local joints across the country, but lose interest in the show when the eating challenge near the end begins. It is somewhat gross, actually.
monavano Posted July 5, 2010 Posted July 5, 2010 I sort of feel the same way about Man v. Food, which I consider a form of competitive eating. I like the tours of local joints across the country, but lose interest in the show when the eating challenge near the end begins. It is somewhat gross, actually. The volume-based challenges make my stomach hurt just watching, but the heat-based ones keep me riveted. In a car-crash-rubber-necking kinda way.
mbucher Posted July 5, 2010 Posted July 5, 2010 Are we all that gullable to really believe the arrest was anything other then a planned PR stunt. I'm now thinking Mr kobayashi needs to attempt eating BGR's 9 lb burger (16lbs after bun etc) in one sitting, only to be done by sonya thomas the black widow and a resident of arlington,va. I'd be up to watching that!..
DonRocks Posted July 5, 2010 Author Posted July 5, 2010 I'm now thinking Mr kobayashi needs to attempt eating BGR's 9 lb burger (16lbs after bun etc) in one sitting, only to be done by sonya thomas the black widow and a resident of arlington,va. I'd be up to watching that!.. I think you meant "outdone." Cheers, Sigmund.
Mark Slater Posted July 5, 2010 Posted July 5, 2010 Are we all that gullable to really believe the arrest was anything other then a planned PR stunt. I'm now thinking Mr kobayashi needs to attempt eating BGR's 9 lb burger (16lbs after bun etc) in one sitting, only to be done by sonya thomas the black widow and a resident of arlington,va. I'd be up to watching that!.. This doesn't explain why it's headline news unless today is a really, really slow news day.
DonRocks Posted October 10, 2011 Author Posted October 10, 2011 Congratulations to Joey Chestnut, who ate two gallons of Ben's Chili Bowl chili in six minutes, and won this years World Chili-Eating Championship. And here's a picture of The Champ the day after his victory:
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