Category: On the LIgher Side

Sixpeat for Chestnut

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The 97th International Hot Dog Eating Contest on Coney Island is a Fourth of July competition that has a “sporting event atmosphere”, even though it is not an athletic competition.

Joey Chestnut took home $10,000 and a mustard yellow belt for eating 68 hot dogs in 10 minutes – six better than last year. The nearest rival trailed by 16 franks, or about three packages.

Some interesting trivia about the event includes:
• Chestnut is not a big man. He is 6’0″ tall and a toned 200+ pounds.
• His consumption of 68 franks was equivalent to 20,000+ calories and enough salt to choke a horse.
• The AMA has released a statement opposing competitive eating contests – because they are harmful to the human body. (Hopefully they don’t watch professional football.)
• An animal rights group protested the event, displaying a 10 foot long inflatable puppy inside a hot dog bun. The puppy was topped with ketchup, mustard, cheese, and lettuce. Adjacent to the “hot dog” was a piglet and a sign that said, “Why Love One but Eat the Other?”

This was the second year that a women’s event was held. Sonya Thomas, aka the Black Widow, was the repeat champion. She downed 45 dogs and was rewarded with $10,000 and the pink champion’s belt. She plans to eat 46 franks next year in honor of her 46th birthday.

 

LFL to take a break in 2012

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On Friday the 13th Yahoo Sports published a statement from Lingerie Football League spokesman Jim Wallin announcing that the LFL was taking a time out for the 2012 season. They are scheduled to return in the spring and summer of 2013 when the weather is warm.

For those unfamiliar with the LFL, it is a female football league that began in 2009 and is headquartered in West Hollywood. It is played with a 7-on-7 format and the uniforms consist of lingerie and football pads.

In 2011 there were 11 teams with monikers such as the Passion, Chill, and Temptation. Last season the teams were located in Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, Green Bay, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Orlando, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Tampa. Although the Temptation have been crowned the champions for each of the past three years, there have not yet been cries of outrage to “Break up the Temptations”.

The reason for the hiatus is the league wants to promote itself. Officials feel the best way to do so is to have its current players participate in the “All Fantasy Tour” which is scheduled to kick off in Mexico City in May.

Visits to Australia and Asia are planned for later in the year.

OK… Any questions?

Is the LFL yet another attempt to exploit women in the name of sports, much as occurs with the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and advertising by the WTA and PGA?

Is the LFL really a sport or does it fall in the same category as hacky sack, Frisbee, yo-yoing, professional wrestling, hot dog eating, roller derby, or ultimate fighting? (There are those who would also include golf and slow-pitch softball in this group). These are all activities that require coordination and a certain amount of athletic ability. In fact, many of the LFL players are more than pretty faces. Most are probably better athletes than the fans who cheer them on.

If you buy into the notion that sports is a form of entertainment, then a case can be made that the LFL is a sport.

At a time when the country is still licking its wounds from the Great Recession, the founders of the LFL formed a league, found staff to support the operations, hired and paid a group of female football players, found sponsors and marketed their product, and got people to watch their games. On top of that, they were able to get the media to cover their “Fantasy Tour.” What they have done is no different than the manufacturers of Pet Rocks, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Cabbage Patch Dolls, and Chia Pets.

Who says American ingenuity and innovation are dead?

 

Roller Derby – “I Can Hit People and Not Go to Jail”

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The November 14 issue of the Boulder Daily Camera included an article entitled “Roller Derby Championship Draws a Crowd.” The article summed up “the best” Sunday at the fifth annual national roller derby championships hosted by the Denver Roller Dolls.

Choice quotes from the article included:

• “It’s one of the few sports out there for women that’s a full-contact, aggressive sport. It takes a lot of teamwork to play it well.”

• “It’s the best game I’ve ever seen played. It’s intense.

• A Thornton resident, who took his 4-year-old daughter to watch the bouts said, “I want her to see roller skating and tough girls. I want her to have the message that girls can do anything.

• Finally, one of the participants quipped, “It’s the greatest sport ever. It’s the only way I can hit people and not go to jail.”

Roller Derby is a hoot! The players show athleticism on skates greater than the skills of their beloved fans.

Interestingly enough, the article appeared on the front page of the Local news section, not the Sports page.

 

Bilingual Athletes

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It is easy to forget that professional sports are international and that English may be a second or third language for many athletes. Frequently, foreign golfers, tennis players, and skiers speak eloquently when they are elevated to the podium to be receive their championship trophies and speak about their accomplishments. It is easy to forget that not everyone speaks English.

It is fairly easy to have an interpretter for individual sports. How does a coach communicate when he wants a basketball player to set a screen or play shortstop instead of second base, particularly if players on the team are from several different nationalities?

The December 22, 2009 Daily Camera published a quote on this topic attributed to Esquire magazine. Houston Rockets center Yao Ming was quoted, “I haven’t done much trash-talking. But last year, I did complain about a call. Nobody could believe it. So I said, ‘I’ve spent a lot on English lessons. I want to get my money’s worth.'”

Ming’s humorous comment on raises some interesting questions:
• What is being done by recreation programs and coaches to reduce the impact of the language barriers on their players?
• How many world-class athletes cannot advance to the next level because of language barriers?
• If this is occurring, what can be done to reduce the number of athletes lost in the process because of language barriers?
• Should players be required to speak English before participating in U.S. professional leagues? Should teams be required to have interpretters?

If nothing else, Ming’s comment illustrates how U.S. professional sports have become international.

 

Chestnut Downs 62 Franks; ‘Black Widow’ Consumes 40

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On July 5, 2011 AP writer Verena Dobnik reported, “Joey Chestnut scarfed down 62 hot dogs to win his fifth consecutive Fourth of July hot dog eating contest at Coney Island – the equivalent of about 20,000 calories in 10 minutes.”

“Sonya Thomas, known as the ‘Black Widow’ of competitive eating won with 40 downed dogs, earning her $10,000 and her own pink champion’s belt.”

It is hard to believe that some people consider this activity to be a sporting event – celebrated every year – Just like Wimbledon, the World Series, and the Super Bowl.