AMERICA

From Afghanistan, Marine First Lieutenant Skye Martin sang “God Bless America” for the Padres’ seventh-inning stretch.

Joey Chestnut is the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest champion once again, munching down 61 hot dogs and buns to win his eighth straight title.

Chestnut was aiming to break his own record of 69, but slowed significantly in the final three minutes after being on record pace for much of the contest. Ultimately there was only one competitor who stood a chance, with 22-year-old Matt Stonie making a big impact by staying bite-for-bite with the champion until the final minute. Stonie finished with 56 and was the runner-up for the second year in a row.

People make fun of competitive eating for not being a “real” sport, but that doesn’t mean eating commentators don’t understand the sports everyone else are talking about. Coney Island is a long way from Brazil, but there are still Luis Suarez jokes.

Joey Chestnut holds the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest record with a grand total of 69, now ESPN helped show us how freakin’ gross that is.

Jamming them into neck hole is bad enough, but John Brenkus gently caressing the fake stomach is our new nightmare fuel.

There’s only one thing more American than the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest and that’s proposing to your girlfriend at said contest.

Competitive eater Joey Chestnut did way better than simply throwing a proposal on a Jumbotron, but part of us really wishes the groom-to-be was a little more creative in the execution. He should have given his bride a hot dog with the ring around the frank. Sure it would be way too big and need to be resized, but darn it would have been worth it.

Everyone is at least a little bit patriotic on the Fourth of July, but how patriotic is your state really? Now there’s a map that shows just how much your state loves the red, white and blue.

Map via Movoto.com

The Fourth of July means a great many things. It’s a day celebrating Liberty, the birth of a nation and throwing off the shackles of imperialism so a country could march to the beat of its own drum. There are a great many things you’ll see today that will show you what America is all about, but perhaps none that started earlier than the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta.

It’s a 10K run but with a strictly American twist. Yes, there are the hardcore runners setting times and looking to place, but there are also a great many average Joes looking to get their America started early. Here’s why the race is great: