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You're watching all-American marketing magic. Nathan's hot dog eating contest is a bonanza for the fast food company. As the eaters have expanded their gastric capabilities, the event's popularity has soared and so have sales of Nathan's hot dogs, piling up seven years in a row to 453 million last year.This is one of the greatest marketing stunts ever put forth in the United States.

It's a natural for Nathan's which first opened at the fun- filled amusement park 96 years ago. In the late 1970s, the contest was just another Coney Island side show, fought off by PR stunt man, Max Rosy. Max's protege is George Shea and his brother, Rich, are the marketing men who have brought competitive eating into the modern era.They've created a phenomenon like introducing coveted mustard yellow championship belt, having ESPN cover the event, and promoting the eaters as professional athletes.

It's absolutely a sport, and it has all the tenants of sports, and these guys are athletes for sure.

This year's stunt, building a new rivalry between the U.S. and China, by flying Chinese eaters to Coney Island just when Nathan's happens to be embarking on a major expansion in China.

If they take the belt, they're going to be eating our lunch literally.

The media eats it up, and not just in Coney Island. The Sheas have qualifying competitions across the country and sponsors for other eating events, chicken wings, oysters, hamburgers, all part of what they call Major League Eating.

Allan Chernoff,cnn,New York.