(MSNBC) The Fourth of July means flags and fireworks, and for some, frankfurters. As in rapidly stuffing dozens of them into their mouths in 10 minutes at the Nathan's Famous July Fourth International Hot Dog Eating Contest.
Televised live on ESPN, the wiener wolf-down is the Super Bowl of Speed Eating. Watching the annual Coney Island frank fest is both riveting and repulsive as men and women compete for prize money ($10,000 to each first place finisher) and bragging rights for their championship stomachs.
But what price do these "athletes" pay for their gluttonous pig-outs and 15 minutes of frankfurter fame?
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