The underdogs of the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest are the real heroes. They do it for the love of the game.

When you picture the 4th of July, most people think of fireworks.

That’s “the big show,” right?

For some, sure. But for others, it’s all about Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, held every year on the Coney Island Boardwalk in Brooklyn, New York.

It’s a truly American spectacle, watching people eat for sport — shoving as many hot dogs down their throats as they can, not due to hunger or for taste, but simply out of pure competition.

And while it’s impressive to watch men like 17-time winner Joey Chestnut (who ate 70 ½ hot dogs this year), and women like 11-time winner Miki Sudo (who scarfed down 33) eat more in 10 minutes than should be humanly possible, what’s more impressive is the competitors near the end of the table. That’s right, we’re talking about those who are just there for the love of the game.

Every year, the competition puts the men and women who are coming into the competition with the best records — the big dogs, so to speak — in the middle of the table, with, well, the underdogs toward the end. Those are the competitors who are there to try their best, but, barring something unthinkable, aren’t likely to unseat someone who’s won 10 or more times.

Let’s hear it for the underdogs

Take competitor Cherish Brown, for example. The Ohio native earned a wild-card spot to compete in her third consecutive 4th of July contest. Ahead of the event, she told WFFT-TV, “I’m really always looking to improve personally, rather than beat anybody at the table.”

Brown added, “I can’t really control what they’re going to do. If they can eat 15-20 hot dogs, that’s great for them, but I’m not going to punish myself if I can’t eat that many. I’m just there to have a good time, and try to do better than last year.”

She finished this year’s competition in 12th place, having eaten six hot dogs in 10 minutes, but we hope that didn’t dampen her day.

Later, in the men’s competition, Indiana native Cameron Meade made his Nathan’s debut, eating 20 ¾ hot dogs to finish in 15th place.

Earlier this week, he told NBC Chicago he was inspired to participate in eating competitions after his friends were impressed by how much he ate at his university’s dining hall. And though he came in last in his division, he’s positioned well for next year — after all, he can only go up from here.

No, these underdogs didn’t win in the end, but we appreciate what they’re doing all the same. Underdogs like Brown and Meade are not there because they expect to win, they’re just there because they love doing what they do: Eating an ungodly number of hot dogs on a hot day, just because they can. In any sport — including competitive eating — not every player on the field can be the MVP, especially when competing against legends like Chestnut and Sudo.

Watching them is a good reminder that perfectionism, like the leftover buns on the boardwalk, is for the birds, and if you have a dream, you should chase it. You don’t have to be perfect, you just have to love what you do.

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