Prejudice in Competitive Eating

Here is a letter I received less than 24 hour before the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Competition. I was discriminated against because of who I associated with.

Hi Michael,

The Nathan's Famous hot dog contest is an IFOCE/MLE event. It has just recently come to my attention that you are ranked by a rival eating league and are therefore not eligible to participate in the Nathan's Famous contest, or any IFOCE or Major League Eating events. This is a long-standing, well-publicized policy. As a result, we withdraw your invitation to compete in the E. Hartford Nathan's qualifier and your standby status in the Molly Pitcher qualifier. Sorry for the late notice, and thank you for your understanding.

Best wishes and good luck.

Thanks,
Kate Westfall
Director of Operations and Client Services
International Federation of Competitive Eating
151 West 25th Street
Fourth Floor
New York NY 10001-7204
212-352-8651
Fax: 212-627-5430
E-mail: kwestfall@ifoce.com