NYC Mayor Eric Adams Backs Joey Chestnut While Urging For Reversal Of Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest Ban

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The competitive eating world was whipped into a frenzy earlier this week when Joey Chestnut was banned from the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, and it appears he has a fairly influential ally in the form of New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

It was safe to assume the man, myth, and legend who is Joey Chestnut was going to secure his 18th Mustard Belt at the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest this year, but things took a shocking turn on Tuesday when Major League Eating announced he’s been barred from participating due to his decision to partner with Impossible Foods to endorse the brand’s plant-based wiener.

Chestnut eventually shed some more light on what transpired in a series of tweets where he said MLE declined to reach out to him with the news before going public with the announcement. He also asserted the organization (which runs the hot dog eating contest in conjunction with Nathan’s) altered its rules to prevent him from taking advantage of the sponsorship opportunities he’s undoubtedly earned as a result of his unrivaled competitive eating career.

Netflix wasted no time capitalizing on the hubbub by announcing Chestnut will go toe-to-toe with Takeru Kobayashi (who will be coming out of a very short-lived retirement) in another hot dog eating contest that will take place on Labor Day.

There’s still a slim chance he could end up in Coney Island on July 4th if he backs out of the aforementioned sponsorship deal, but it doesn’t seem like that will end up being the case based on how things are currently trending.

On Wednesday night, NYC Mayor Eric Adams decided to enter the chat with a tweet where he made it clear he sympathizes with Chestnut’s plight while urging Nathan’s and MLE to “squash this beef” and allow him to defend his crown.

It’s not too late for them to do the right thing.