The sports world was shocked on Tuesday, June 11 when the International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE) announced that Joey Chestnut would be banned from defending his title at the Nathan’s Famous July 4th Hot Dog Eating Contest.

You know, the gorge-a-thon that draws 50,000 fans to the corner of Surf and Stillwell in Coney Island with two million rubberneckers watching on ESPN.

Chestnut, who has won the prestigious Yellow Mustard Belt for conquering the traditional chow down 16 times, recently signed an endorsement deal with rival hot dog company Impossible Foods.

That was too much for Nathan’s Famous to stomach and the IFOCE put the kibosh on Chestnut’s participation in this year’s event.

Impossible Foods makes a vegan plant-based frankfurter. Whether that should even be considered an actual hot dog is an argument for another day. [I say no.]

The July 4th contest is owned by Nathan’s Famous, which paid Chestnut a $200,000 appearance fee to compete last year. A four-year deal reportedly worth $1.2 million was on the table.

Both sides seem to have left wiggle room for a ceasefire that would allow Chestnut to compete in the future. Chestnut vows that his supporters haven’t seen the last of him smashing eating records.

He holds the mark in 55 disciplines, including deep-fried asparagus, brain tacos, shrimp wontons, funnel cakes, waffles and corned beef sandwiches. He set the record for kolaches and gyros here in Houston.

For its part, Nathan’s Famous said it would keep Chestnut’s seat warm at its hot dog contest if Chestnut ever stops endorsing another tube steak company.

Chestnut set the July 4 record by downing (and keeping down -that’s the rule) 76 hot dogs and buns in 2021. In all he has won the hot dog contest, considered the Super Bowl of competitive eating 16 times. He was riding a current eight-year win streak.

Judge Ken

I had a front-row ticket to several of Chestnut’s titles. I was his personal hot dog counter for five of his wins, including the 2018 scandal-ridden event when organizers placed the judges’ platform too low and we couldn’t get a clear view of the action. Each contestant had two judges - one to count the hot dogs consumed and one to hold up the scorecard. That year I held up the scorecard. The counter told me 58 hot dogs and buns when he actually gutted 68 of ‘em. Needless to say, it was a scene, man. ESPN had to go back to the video for a Florida election-style recount before the official result was announced. Media worldwide referred to me and the other judges as “weenies.” Cheap shot and it still hurts.

I was a judge for 12 years at the Coney Island clash of gastronomical gladiators. I was Matt “Megatoad” Stonie’s counter when he upset Chestnut in 2015. Stonie scarfed down 62 hot dogs and buns to Chestnut’s 60 - and I got the number right.

Stonie’s win is still considered the greatest upset in sports history. That afternoon I was interviewed on CNN. Anchor Jonathan Mann asked me how a human could eat 62 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. I explained the method introduced by Japanese eating superstar Takeru Kobayashi and perfected by Chestnut of grabbing two hot dogs and buns, separating the meat from the bread, ripping the dogs in half and jamming them in their mouth and washing them down by the buns soaked in warm water.

I said there is “minimal chewing.” I added a comment that CNN considered off-color and was edited out of repeat segments - something about the adult entertainment industry.

My partner judge for Stonie’s conquest was my son Andrew. It was a father-son bonding moment that even Hallmark Cards would say “too cheesy.”

At one point I judged six consecutive winners, including Chestnut, Stonie and women’s champ Miki Sudo. Nobody’s come close to my six-peat since. I still have my official judges’ striped shirts and baseball caps.

One year during Chestnut’s visit to Houston for a contest, we sat for a two-hour interview on the legendary “1560 The Game” radio station. I asked him every dumb question that consumption fans wonder about, like do competitive eaters have groupies and when does nature exact its revenge? Chestnut said yes to the groupies. As for when he sequesters himself in the restroom, he said usually during his flight home to San Jose, somewhere over middle America, “and it ain’t pretty.”