Joey Chestnut Eats 68 Hot Dogs to Win July 4th Contest: Should Competitive Eating be Banned?

You can always go to the Feeding America website: http://feedingamerica.org/hun...

You can also read more here: http://www.worldhunger.org/ar...

Both give a good overview on the issue. Many people are using services provided. However, food banks are simply unable to keep up with the demand.

I can see that there are issues, but if the median family spends 27% more than a "food insecure" family, but they also waste 14% of that food and still are on average over eating, then it doesn't seem like that big of an issue. I'm sure there are exceptions, but considering all the government and private programs there is no reason for anyone to be hungry.

Part of the problem is most of the places to go and get food are off the beaten path. On the outskirts of the town/city and not often right in the center of it. Many people just don't know where to find them.

This is also not including that many food banks have a limit to how much food you can get at one time and during the month. A family might be able to get enough food for their entire family to get three meals a day for three days, but it's limited to twice a month. That's less than a weeks worth per month. Spending the gas to go all over the city to regularly go to several different places pretty much defeats the purpose cause they are spending even more on fuel.

Countless families make enough money to not qualify for food stamps, but what they make is STILL not enough to actually make ends meet and still below the poverty line. Mostly these are people who have been hit hard by the economy or been dropped by insures due to them having the "audacity" of actually getting sick, and now have half (or less) of the income they've had before or have a mountain of unexpected medical bills. And there are actually people who want to get rid of reduced/free lunches in schools, and food stamps, as well as many other programs that would actually help people! (And in the same breath see no problem with the waste of food that is eating contests.)

Well that is truly sad in this country, but banning contests is not the answer.

I know ... they are dropping like flies ... right in the street.

I think it's gross, but if other people want to participate or watch, that's their choice. If we're going to be a free society, then we have to allow people to do what they want so long as they don't harm someone else.

Welcome to liberal tyranny!

My reasoning: If they want all that crap in their body, they can have it. I'm also pretty sure that they sign waivers, so they take the responsibility for any health problems that they brought upon themselves in order to have a limited amount of fame

I have a story to tell. A lawyer was in his limousine on his way home for lunch, when he saw two homeless men eating grass. Seeing the strange sight, he told the driver to pull over, and he asked the men why they were eating grass. They replied, "sir, we are so poor that we cannot afford to eat anything but grass. The lawyer told the first man, "you can come to my house for some food", but the man told him that he has a wife and a child, so the lawyer told him that they may come along. He told the second man that he was also allowed to come, but this man stated that he had a wife and four kids, so the lawyer in his grace, told the man that they could come too. Even for this limo, it was a squeeze for them all. Once all in, the lawyer said, "You're going to love what I've got for you, because my grass is a foot tall!"

Crap, i pressed the wrong button.
there's nothing wrong with competitive eating, hell i won the county fair's pie eating contest one year!

Fatass :P
just kidding, congrats!

Banned? No. Encouraged? Also a big no. From an old-fashioned pie eating contest to the modern pig down as much as you can, I think competitive eating is wasteful and gross at best, and just downright stupid, but since when is being stupid against the law?

DISGUSTING, BUT THE CONTESTANTS HAVE THE FREEDOM TO DO IT. ..THERE ARE FAR MORE CASES OF OF WASTE AND HEALTH ISSUES EVERYDAY IN OUR CITIES THAN IN THESE CONTESTS HELD A FEW TIMES A YEAR.

I have seen her on other things & she is a little thing it amazes me she can eat like that. But no, I don't think it should be banned. I don't know how any of them do it & not get sick though.

What I'm waiting for is one of these competitive eating morons to choke on the hot dogs or whatever they are shoving in their mouth and we get to watch some idiot gag to death.

They're eating a hot dog and it explodes in their mouth and they die!

It's a pointless waste of resources.

Some 'freedoms' aren't worth protecting.

They're the leftover hot dogs that are going to be thrown away, where nobody gets them.

Where is the proof for that?

Stupid people asking stupid questions like this should be banned.

Come on , gluttony , wastefulness , competitive , it's the American way. The only thing missing is the trash talk!!

Don't forget the 24 packs of beer for each person an a shotgun!

disgusting. Fancy making a pig of yourself to win a contest?

What if you were a pig and someone said that? How would ou feel being made fun of? Pigs have feelings too you know.

They know what the risks are. Let them shove food down their throats if they want.

People can if they want to.

Why? It is adults who enjoy eating competitively, seriously whats the big deal?

24% of these voters have absolutley no reason behind why it should be banned

I don't think we have a lack food that's a problem, for this banned.

i think banning it is a strong concept but its awful for your esophagus.

I'm not keen on banning things but I don't think the local media should encourage it either!

I'm very, very hesitant to support the banning of things. To ban something, it would have to be for a highly compelling reason.

Having said that, though, these "competitive eating" contests disgust me. There's an obesity epidemic in America, stomach cancer and colon cancer rates are skyrocketing, and there are millions of starving people around the world. With all those problems, these eating contests are an absolute disgrace.

But that's not sufficient reason to ban them. I just choose not to watch them, and I encourage others to not watch them as well.

And that is as it should be.

We can't ban every stupid thing. Sometimes, we just have to let people suffer natural consequences.

I agree, but that's not really natural...

No, the acts aren't natural, but the health problems which may result are a natural consequence. We can't legislate good sense.

Indeed, quite a fine rebuttal there

It's unfortunate, but true.

If people want to eat let them