Baseball: Hitting, catching, running – and binging – sports are back in the MLB

Zfor example the Heart Attack Burger in front of the Chicago Cubs baseball stadium. Or that Meat Lovers Pizza in the shop right next to it: with the diameter of a monster truck and a mixture of meat from four animals. There is also a bucket the size of a rain barrel, filled with popcorn and two liters of melted butter. And the containers for the sugar fizz to wash things down are even a little bigger. Yes, anyone who visits the USA immediately notices: Everything is a bit bigger in this country, including the portions and their fat and sugar content – and therefore often the people who eat it all.

Eating and being eaten, a few thoughts that have nothing to do with food intake might come to mind when it comes to this topic in the USA in 2026 – until you go to a Dodgers home game on the hill in downtown Los Angeles. The new delicacy at the start of the season: the Chow Mein Burrito for 17 dollars. A huge portion of Chinese-style chicken glass noodles in a Mexican dumpling is dipped in so much boiling oil that the end product lies in a puddle and is greeted by fans at the stall, like the New York Post noted, is described as “diabolical,” “completely sick,” and “an oil change disguised as food.”

The new season has just begun in US baseball, “America’s Pasttime”, the beloved diversion in everyday American life. And with it, old-school gluttony – but with new, increasingly crazy products. For example this one Bat Flip at the Atlanta Braves: an 18 centimeter high burger. Between the bun halves are: two pounds of minced meat cutlets, ribs, pork belly, four slices of cheese, onions. Or that Machete the Miami Marlins: a 60-centimeter-diameter dumpling filled with carne asada and cheese, then rolled into the shape of a blade. Counterattack by the Colorado Rockies: Gidzillaan equally long hot dog with a portion of mac’n’cheese on top of the sausage. And finally the Arizona Diamondbacks variant: the 50/50 Stretch. One half is filled with 350 grams of smoked beef, the other with chicken in Parmesan breading.

In all examples, vegetables are used exclusively for decoration in the respective club colors.

The great role models: Hitting and throwing like Shohei Ohtani, throwing like Joey Chestnut

There are sweet and salty combinations like pizza donuts, chicken churros or that Dessert Chicken Bucket the New York Yankees: vanilla ice cream with chocolate and cornflakes in a chocolate-covered pretzel. Without meat, but looks like chicken wings – and was sold out after 20 minutes on the first day of the game. The most amazing drink again: the Take Me Out to the Ballgame-Milkshake in Phoenix. The cup is slathered with caramel sauce and the 3,000 calorie shake is decorated with Kit Kat bars, peanut butter cookies, waffles and caramel popcorn.

It couldn’t be more American, and they’ve really turned eating big into a sport here. There is one Major League Eatinga league for eating contests. The highlight every year on the national holiday: the hot dog eating contest in Coney Island. Winner 2025, for the 17th time: Joey Chestnut, who is generally believed to be, well, other eater of the world. He ate 70.5 hot dogs in ten minutes. His world record is 76.

What does this have to do with food at ballparks? Much. In the USA, Joey Chestnut is considered a legend that people should emulate. In sports and as sports. That’s why this season there’s the “9-9-9 Challenge” in six baseball stadiums for $55: eat nine hot dogs in nine innings and wash them down with nine beers. Not bread and games, bread as a game, with lots of sausage on the side, of course.