The Toronto Star has an article about the showdown between Takeru Kobayashi and "Furious" Pete Czerwinski at a pizza eating contest at Pie Pizza in Barrie, Ontario. update Mississauga.com also has an article.

August 13, 2010 at 2:20 pm by ojrifkin · More posts about:"Furious" Pete Czerwinski, Kobayashi (小林尊), Toronto | Permalink * Comments (7)

7 Comments »

  1. Anonymous said

    August 13, 2010 @ 2:49 pm

    Sometimes it really isn’t about the money.

  2. anonymous said

    August 13, 2010 @ 6:48 pm

    Pete badmouths the sheas because they wouldnt let him in the IFOCE. Although the contract is more about selfish reasons than anything else, its also about protecting sheas best interests. If they allowed the eaters to sign endorsements with other sponsors or eat wherever they please , the poor sheas would not be able to make money off of them . They would basically lose control of the eaters in general. Pete was heavily tracked by MLE before they decided not to let him in , Pete was making moves on his own and they figured he would do the same even if he signed a contract with MLE

  3. NReda said

    August 14, 2010 @ 12:33 pm

    How many many eaters on the entire IFOCE roster would be in a position to get these side endorsements? I have a hard time believing that the guys ranked below 20 would have any success getting a big outside endorsement that would hurt the Sheas. Yes, I could see the top draws getting side endorsements that would harm the Sheas’ profitability…. we’re talking about guys like Joey, Pat, Tim, Ben, Sonya, Conti, Bob…. but the people lower down the totem pole are in a whole different boat. These people are much less known in public circles, eat much less impressively than the top draws, and generally do not win (or even place second or third or tenth!) at IFOCE events. These people basically just legitimize IFOCE contests as sporting events, rather than the Top Ten or Top Five eating exhibitions they typically become.

    That said, the Sheas are free to develop any sort of contract they want. Obviously, nobody is forced to sign a contract. You gotta play by the terms of the contract if you sign. My question is why would anyone sign at all, if they can get better deals elsewhere. Pete seems to have figured out how to get attention independently, but he’s definitely the exception. Kobayashi is now floating in the same direction… if you can make it big on your own, it’s probably in your interest to avoid tangling yourself up with an organization that’s going to stand in your way.

  4. reality check said

    August 14, 2010 @ 4:00 pm

    NReda

    No one outside our little circle knows who any eaters are, unless they do the Nathans final. Pete is an unknown, just like the rest of us. What attention does he get independently, at least that gets him a lot of pulicity?

  5. anonymous said

    August 14, 2010 @ 4:57 pm

    Ok fine Nreda you just answered your own question. If guys ranked below 20 have no success getting a big outside endorsement, then why make them sign restricitve contracts. Contracts should apply to Joey , Sonya Shoudt and some of the other top eaters . Why should the other poor shnooks sit and watch everyone else make money while they make less than peanuts. ? So everyone is happy maybe a less restricitve contract allowing lower ranked eaters to participate in non IFOCE challenges once or twice a year would sound a hell of alot better than using the slave mentality approach dont you think?

  6. Anonymous said

    August 14, 2010 @ 6:02 pm

    I agree with Brian Seiken.

  7. anonymous said

    August 14, 2010 @ 7:53 pm

    i agree with OJ Rifkin agree with Brian Seiken at 6:02

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