The Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest will once again be airing live on ESPN2 on the 4th of July this year, the 15th straight year that an ESPN network has televised the event.

This year, ESPN announced that a new broadcaster would be calling the event – Adam Amin will get the gig, replacing Paul Page, who had called every contest since 2005. Richard Shea, who has been the event’s “analyst” since it began to air on ESPN, will return along with reporter Melanie Collins.

The contest starts at noon, and will be preceded by the women’s event at 10:50 AM on ESPN3.

ESPN3 will also have a Joey Chestnut-focused camera feed during the contest, and a variety of feature stories on Chestnut, Carmen Cincotti, and Max Suzuki are all planned as well. Chestnut has won all but one contest since 2007, with Matt “Megatoad” Stonie upsetting him in the 2015 contest.

This is clearly the most significant broadcasting achievement of Amin’s career, surpassing all of the college football, college basketball, and NBA games he’s called in recent years.

The highlight of the contest each year isn’t all of the contestants stuffing their faces with wet sandwiches, but the introductions of George Shea.

Here’s hoping ESPN breaks out another Sport Science segment on hot dog eating this year.

Following this year’s edition of the contest, ESPN2 will be airing four hours of live cornhole. Just in case you think that sports networks on the 4th of July couldn’t get more bizarre…

[ESPN]

About Joe Lucia

I hate your favorite team. I also sort of hate most of my favorite teams.