Interviews

High-intermediate

1. Discussion Questions:

• Before listening to the interview, engage the students in a brief discussion about competitive eating. Ask questions like:
  • Have you ever heard of competitive eating?
  • Do you consider it a sport? Why or why not?
  • What criteria do you think define a competitive sport?
  • Is prize money an essential element of a sport?

1. It’s unhealthy to eat large amounts of food in a short time.
2. Competitive eating promotes food waste.
3. People have the right to choose extreme eating contests if they want.
4. Watching eating contests is entertaining.
5. Events like hot dog eating contests are bad examples for children.
6. Competitive eaters deserve prize money like athletes in other sports.
7. There should be more rules to protect the health of competitive eaters.
8. Some eating contests show cultural traditions in a fun way.
9. Eating contests seem strange or inappropriate in places with food shortages.

Here are some words and expressions that appear in the video:

stigma (noun):

• Definition: A mark of disgrace or shame associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person.
• Sample Sentence: Despite being a skilled competitive eater, Jake faces the stigma of people doubting the legitimacy of his sport.

regimen (noun):

• Definition: A systematic plan or regular course of action, often related to training or exercise.
• Sample Sentence: Competitive eaters follow a strict regimen, including specialized diets and stomach exercises, to enhance their performance.

endurance (noun):

• Definition: The ability to withstand hardship or adversity; in the context of sports, the ability to sustain prolonged effort or activity.
• Sample Sentence: Competitive eating requires not only the capacity to consume large quantities but also considerable endurance to endure the lengthy contests.

controversial (adjective):

• Definition: Causing disagreement, dispute, or argument; often related to differing opinions on a particular subject.
• Sample Sentence: The status of competitive eating as a sport remains controversial, with people having varying perspectives on its legitimacy.

Now, watch the interview and answer the comprehension questions. You can also turn on the automatically-generated captions for the video once you start it.

Randall: Hello, Emily. And in this video, I want to talk about something that might be a little bit controversial, right? Competitive eating like someone trying to eat as many hot dogs as they can in ten minutes. Do you think that is a competitive sport? Why or why not?

Emily: I don’t really know how I feel about this.

Randall: I mean, like, soccer is a competitive sport. Tennis is a competitive sport. Why not competitive eating?

Emily: I feel like there’s probably, it’s based on a lot of stigma. I feel like that’s something I would have to sit down and maybe evaluate. Is there a lot of training involved? My first inclination would be, no, it’s not a sport. But then if you think about it, they do have to have some sort of regiment, like, I couldn’t eat more than a hot dog, but some people can down them and I don’t know enough about it.

Randall: All right. So when you think about I think about there’s probably some training involved, like exercising your stomach muscles. Uh, probably endurance. I mean, after 3 or 4 hot dogs, I’m ready to, you know, throw up. I, I can’t eat that many. But, I mean, some of these people eat 40, 50, 60 hot dogs. So training endurance what? Any other thoughts on that?

Emily: I feel like I just need to know more about it.

Randall: So you’re not canceling it out. You’re saying, I’d like to look into this a little bit more

Emily: Yeah.

Randall: as a sport.

Emily: Yeah. Before I stand in either camp.

Randall: Alright. Well, thank you. Emily, I, I know that this is a topic that a lot of people discuss. I mean, they win prize money. Is prize money an element of competitive sport, maybe competition, maybe you have opponents. Okay. So I think there are a variety of factors. But yes, I think there’s going to be a lot of discussion on whether it is a sport or not.

Easy (Recall and Comprehension):

1. What is the main topic of the interview between Randall and Emily?
2. According to Randall, what are some factors that might make competitive eating controversial?
3. How does Emily initially feel about competitive eating as a sport?
4. Can you recall any specific examples or analogies used in the interview to describe competitive eating?
5. What are some potential elements of training that Randall suggests for competitive eaters?

Intermediate (Analyze and Interpret):

6. In what ways does Randall try to justify competitive eating as a sport during the interview?
7. How might societal perceptions and stigma influence the classification of competitive eating as a sport, according to Emily?
8. Discuss the role of prize money in determining whether an activity qualifies as a sport. Do you agree with this perspective?
9. Explore the idea of endurance in competitive eating. How is it different from endurance in traditional sports like running or cycling?
10. Why does Emily express the need to know more about competitive eating before forming an opinion? How might additional information influence her perspective?

Advanced (Evaluate and Synthesize):

11. Evaluate the arguments presented by Randall regarding the potential sport status of competitive eating. Are they convincing? Why or why not?
12. Analyze the societal factors that contribute to the controversy surrounding competitive eating. How do cultural norms and expectations play a role?
13. Consider the parallels between competitive eating and other unconventional sports. How do perceptions of what constitutes a sport evolve over time?
14. Reflect on the interview’s implications for the broader definition of sports. Should activities like competitive eating be included in the same category as traditional sports? Why or why not?
15. If you were to participate in a debate about whether competitive eating is a sport, what key points or arguments would you raise to support your position?