Could Joey Chestnut Be Bigger Than Michael Jordan?

If Joey Chestnut wins Nathan's Hotdog Competition tomorrow, he could join the Mount Rushmore of Championship Athletes competing injured.  Who will forget Michael Jordan and his infamous flu game?  Or Curt Schilling pitching for Boston in a bloody sock?  Or even Tiger Woods winning the U.S. Open on a broken leg?

All eyes will be on Joey Chestnut tomorrow, as many question whether this is the biggest challenge of his career.  For the first time ever, Chestnut will be competitive eating with a severe injury, after an unfortunate accident ruptured his tendon, that will force him to eat on crutches.  

Do You Believe In Miracles?

However, nothing may be more miraculous than a severely injured man eating over 70 hotdogs on hobbled legs.  Few realize the endurance and skill it takes to be successful in competitive eating, which can take months of both mental and physical training.  If Chestnut can pull off another Hotdog Eating Championship win, he could easily be mentioned in the same breath as Schilling, Woods, and yes... even Michael Jordan.

If we dive in even deeper, it could even be argued that Chestnut's Mustard Belts are more impressive than Jordan's six basketball titles with the Chicago Bulls.  With another win, Joey's 15 Hotdog Eating Championships would far surpass Jordan's 6 Basketball Championships.  Some could even argue that Jordan won his Championships in a team sport, while Chestnut had to win his Mustard Belts alone.

The Legacy Grows

However, that's a conversation saved for another day, as we wait for tomorrow's 2022 Nathan's Hotdog Eating Competition.  If Chestnut can win while injured, he will definitely be added to the "Mount Rushmore of Injured Athletes Winning a Title".

Chestnut will going for his 7th straight win, and 15th win overall, which will add to his illustrious collection of Mustard Belts.  Regardless the outcome, he is already the undisputed leader in Competitive Eating Hot Dog competitions, and nobody else comes even close.