Former hot dog eating champ Kobayashi needs to get his groove back

Sports dynasties of our time:

The Boston Celtics...

The New York Yankees...

The New England Patriots...

Takeru Kobayashi. Competitive eating is Kobayashi's court.

Kobayashi does this 'move' when he eats dubbed the "Kobayashi Shake" that helps him (supposedly) move more food into his stomach. This is just some of the flair that makes Kobayashi a fan favorite professional eater. Yet, like our title suggests, Kobayashi like Stella, needs to get that "groove" back. I guess I'm a little late on reporting the results of this past 4th of July's contest because, quite frankly, the contest is no fun to watch anymore since Kobyashi has lost the past three events to Joey Chestnut. Boo.

Takeru Kobayashi (above) won the Nathan's 4th of July Hot Dog eating contest 6 years in a row starting in 2001. The guy can eat about 50-60 hotdogs in the 12 minute limit of the event.

Yet, Kobayashi's 6 wins in a row is still a staggering feat to topple. Kobayashi is probably the most well known face to the world of competitive eating. This is partially due to his shock value when he first came on to the scene.

Nobody knew who this tiny (at the time) lanky japanese kid entering the Nathans contest was, until he stole (doubling the previous years record) the championship belt away from American eaters. Not only did he not fit the look of a competitive eater, but he was Japanese. He clearly showed to be on a whole 'nother level when it came to eating capacity compared to the eaters from the states.

From that point on Kobayashi dominated eating contests all over the world and quickly became the face of the sport. People were astounded by his skill to eat and he became a showman of radical sorts- Kobayashi VS. Bear

Now it might seem stupid to assume someone can beat a bear in an eating contest, but it was the fact that no one thought this type of eating ability was even possible before Kobayashi. We celebrated him to an almost superhuman standard. An asian was feared by his fellow competitors- A first, I would say in a long time, since maybe a street fight with Bruce Lee.

Iconic!

There was a sense of patriotism fueling the urge to topple this godzilla of an eater. A non-american was flourishing at a very American thing (stuffing hotdogs down their throats) away from them. This was a contest that took place at a very American location, Coney Island, and a foreigner was winning.

But we are a people of originals.

You switch a band member on us- You're dead.

You have a sequel without our favorite actor-Flop in the box office.

Kobayashi will always be the first powerhouse competitive eater of our time.

Asian dominance in a sport other than ping pong?

I'll take it!

Bring back the belt in 2010 Kobayashi! m00g00