With today being the start of Phase 2 here in Connecticut we are slowly but surely getting back to normal. Most of the major sports are starting to put plans in place to return too. There’s even good news for tennis and competitive eating fans!
Two of the most popular annual summer events, The U.S. Open and the traditional Fourth of July Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest will BOTH happen this summer. With one pretty big change. No fans. The U.S. Open will happen in Queens, New York from August 31st through September 13th. They promise they’ll take “extraordinary precautions” to protect players and staff, including “robust testing and additional cleaning.”
Meanwhile, one of my personal favorite events of the year, the annual Nathan’s hot dog eating contest will be happening in a “private location,” instead of the usual spot out in public on Coney Island.
They are still taking every precaution to make things safe. All staffers will be wearing masks and gloves, all eaters will be tested before, and there will be an insane amount of sanitizer. Also, there will only be FIVE eaters instead of the usual 15 to allow for social distancing. Which doesn’t really matter because we all know Joey Chestnut is just going to win again no matter how many eaters there are.
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