If Your City Doesn't Have An Iconic Hot Dog, You Can Forget About A Winning Baseball Season

A 2021 study by the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (NHDSC) has provided sales data indicating a link between Major League Baseball (MLB) stadiums' hot dog and sausage sales with their city's team wins (via PR Newswire). The Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and St. Louis Cardinals all place within the top six MLB teams with the highest percentages of wins. Also, all five of these teams just so happen to average over one million hot dog and sausage sales per year. 

So, what does all this mean? Unfortunately, despite the data, there is no scientific correlation between hot dog sales and team wins. However, there are plenty of explanations as to why these teams that win more baseball games tend to also sell more hot dogs. Firstly, more food sales may mean more fans for a specific team, sometimes caused by the city's high population or their impressive record throughout the season. However, winning teams also tend to be based in cities that have iconic hot dogs — so, is there any correlation between a city with good hot dogs and the success of its baseball team?

All the successful teams mentioned above have their own special way of cooking hot dogs. The Los Angeles Dodgers' 10-inch long, 100% pork Dodger Dog has made the team the best hot dog sellers in the league. The city of Chicago, Illinois is already highly praised and known for their delicious Chicago-style hot dogs, while New York has claimed their "dirty water" hot dog method as what makes the frankfurters in the Big Apple so unique. St. Louis deemed the tangy dog from Steve's Hot Dogs and Burgers as their official hot dog in 2022. The Boston Red Sox also boast their very own hot dog called the Fenway Frank, which can even be purchased for an at-home barbecue. Each of these teams' respective cities take their hot dogs very seriously, so there must be some sort of correlation between having great hot dogs and winning at baseball, right?

Unfortunately, no. Even teams that are not praised for their skills can have an iconic dog. While there is much debate over which MLB team is the worst of the worst, many of the recurring teams that appear in MLB fans' answers have a great hot dog tied to their city. The Mariners have a Seattle-style hot dog, the Philadelphia Phillies boast the Philly-style dog, and the Marlins can dine on a Miami hot dog. Thankfully, no matter if you win or lose, there will be a city-specific hot dog waiting for you. While we can't all be winners, we can definitely eat like we are.