The 999 Challenge isn’t anything new. But it’s worth revisiting, as it’s become a topic du jour for baseball fans in America.
It reentered the conversation at the beginning of this most recent MLB season, via the Subreddit for Major League Baseball. 9/9/9 Challenge. How many of you could do it? has garnered hundreds of upvotes and comments in recent months.
The earliest reference to the stunt I could find was from Bleacher Report in 2011. As author Matt Hurst puts it: “The 9-9-9 Challenge is simple: You eat nine hot dogs, drink nine beers and do it during a baseball game, so for nine innings.”
The 999 Challenge: Laying the Ground Rules
“Simple,” you say? Well, that’s up for debate. So debate we did. “We” in this case is yours truly, my Dad, my brother Nate, my uncle Neil, his buddy Tito, and our buddy Graz. Greenwood Legends group chat, talking about the Challenge.
The first factor my Dad brought up was cost. We focused on Fenway Park, as we’re Sox fans. Fenway averages $9.50 per beer, and a Fenway Frank is $6.25, so we’ll say $10 and $7 with tips. $17 per inning times 9 innings? That’ll run you $153.
The 999 Challenge: Bringing It All Home
And who the Sox are playing makes a difference, too. As Neil pointed out, if it’s a 4-hour epic battle against the Yankees, you’d have a chance. If it’s a 2-and-a-half-hour pitcher’s duel, no way. And remember: no beer sales after the 7th.
Graz pointed out that Nate once took down 7 beers at a game, so he stood the best chance. Tito suggested double-fisting and double-dogging through the first 5 innings. We all agreed that the 999 Challenge is best suited for home consumption.
While the six of us get our game plan together, you can take a look below at some fans who’ve attempted the challenge. I bet Big Papi could pull it off.
