The Fourth of July marks the United States declaring independence from Britain, and one of the most entertaining ways to celebrate is watching people devour mountains of hot dogs.
While many will celebrate America's independence on Tuesday by attending cookouts or fireworks spectacles, others will enjoy another fun July Fourth tradition: the Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest.
The annual competition will be broadcast live on ESPN starting at 10:45 a.m. ET July 4. ESPN SportsCenter Anchor John Anderson will provide play-by-play (and bite-by-bite) coverage of the competition, while Major League Eating (MLE) President Richard Shea will be providing in-depth analysis, ESPN said in an online statement.
Newsweek has reached out via email and Facebook to representatives for Nathan's Famous.
What is the Nathan's hot dog eating contest?
The first recorded competition occurred on July 4, 1972, Nathan's says on its website. MLE, the organization overseeing all professional eating contests, says hot dog eating competitions took place unofficially since Nathan's opened in 1916.
On average, 35,000 spectators flock to the annual Coney Island event, which raises money for the Food Bank for New York City.
The tournament is split into two categories, male and female, and eaters are given 10 minutes to scarf down as many franks and buns as they can. Winners of the historic contest receive cash prizes, with the top eater earning $10,000. The second-place prize is $5,000 and third is $2,500.
Joey Chestnut is predicted to win the male category, having already captured the title 15 times. He holds the world record of 76 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes.
Miki Sudo has won on the women's side every year since 2014, except for 2021 when she served as an ESPN commentator rather than compete due to being 37 weeks pregnant, she told Newsweek. Her record is 48.5 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes.
Sudo told Newsweek in a phone interview that she's aiming to beat her record this year.
"I'm just kind of tweaking my technique to hopefully put up a higher number because I do not like my personal record of 48.5," the top female competitive eater in the world said to Newsweek. "It's just a very arbitrary kind of number. I'd like to hit 50. Really, I don't even want to hang it up until I get to that 50 mark, and I don't see why I couldn't."
What TV channel is airing Nathan's hot dog eating contest?
The women's portion of the tournament will air live on ESPN3 at 10:45 a.m. EST July 4. The men's competition starts at 12 p.m. July 4 on ESPN2. Both events can also be streamed on the ESPN app and will have multiple airings throughout the day.
Where to watch Nathan's hot dog eating contest online?
If you don't have cable, you can livestream the contest online. Hulu with Live TV, AT&T TV Now, YouTube TV, Fubo TV or Sling TV all offer free trials to new customers. All of these streaming services have ESPN access.
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