Or…when is a World Record not a World Record?

That’s the question likely to face Takeru “The Tsunami” Kobayashi, the Japanese competitive eating dynamo who set a world record yesterday for eating the most number of hot dogs (and buns) in a 10-minute period by putting away 69 hot dogs. Kobayashi’s main rival, Joey “Jaws” Chestnut was able to eat “only” 62 hot dogs during Nathan’s Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest, which takes place annually on Coney Island (the Superbowl of competitive eating).

The only problem is Kobayashi wasn’t officially entered in this year’s competition. Instead, he devoured his hot dogs from the roof of a Manhattan bar while a big screen next to him aired the actual contest from Coney Island in real time:

But the Major League Eating (MLE), which runs the contest, says it will not recognize Kobayashi’s record because he did not set it at their event.

This isn’t the first time Kobayashi has had problems with the MLE. After winning the Hot Dog Contest for six years in a row, Kobayashi was defeated by archrival Chestnut. And last year, Kobayashi chose not to enter the contest citing a contract dispute with the MLE although some speculated that he backed out because he was afraid he would lose again. But Kobayashi showed up at the event anyway and was arrested after unexpectedly storming the stage.

So should Kobayashi’s record be stricken because he wasn’t an official competitor in the contest? Or should it not matter and he be rightfully crowned the King of Eating Hot Dogs? Frankly, I think anyone who can ingest 69 hot dogs in ten minutes should be hailed as some kind of hero, but that’s just me.

Hope everyone had a great Fourth of July weekend! And if anyone else devoured anywhere near 69 hot dogs over the course of the holiday weekend, you are also my hero.