Every year on the Fourth of July, millions of Americans tune in to watch the world’s top competitive eaters scarf down an ungodly number of hot dogs on Coney Island. Since 2015, that contest has been dominated by one man. Joey Chestnut has won the annual Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest a total of 16 times, hitting a world record in 2021 when he sucked down 76 dogs in the competition’s customary 10-minute duration. This year, Chestnut has been banned from participating in the contest by the body that oversees it, Major League Eating, or MLE.

The reason is because Chestnut accepted a sponsorship deal with Impossible Foods, the California-based purveyor of plant-based, meat-like products (including, as of a few months ago, hot dogs). MLE cited its “hot dog exclusivity provisions,”........

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