Since 1954, Sports Illustrated magazine has recognized athletes who make an impact on the game and his or her community by naming them “The Sportsperson of the Year”. Previous winners include Muhammed Ali, Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky. The annual Sportsperson of the Year recipients of 2017 are Houston’s own Jose Altuve and JJ Watt.
In August 2017, one of the most devastating tropical storms to ever hit the United States formed in the Gulf of Mexico. Hundreds of thousands of Americans experienced damages due to flooding from Hurricane Harvey. Texas needed billions of dollars from the federal government to help pay for the destruction. Thousands of Houston’s citizens were forced to stay in shelters due to their houses being completely underwater. The entire city was in complete ruin.
In response to this terrible storm, Houston Texan defensive end, JJ Watt, decided to take a stand and donate $100,000 of his own money to recovery efforts. He decided to set a goal of raising $200,000 for victims of his city. This goal was reached in just two hours. As of today, Watt has raised over 37 million dollars of donations from people around the world.
Watt holds Houston franchise records in sacks and forced fumbles. He won NFL player of the year during his 2012 season. He has been an impact player for the Houston Texans as well as an impact citizen. He created the Justin J. Watt Foundation, a charity made to create after-school opportunities for children so they can be involved in athletics in a safe environment. The three-time defensive player of the year suffered a season-ending leg injury just the fifth week into the season.
“Humbled & Honored. Houston, this is for you and this is for the hundreds of thousands of people who donated from all over the world,” Watt tweeted in response to his Sportsman of the Year honor.
In 2010, the Houston Astros were among the worst teams in the league, with a record of 56-106. In 2017, the Astros beat the Los Angeles Dodgers to claim their first ever World Series in franchise history just over two months after Hurricane Harvey hit the city of Houston. Second baseman Jose Altuve made the final out at game seven and was later named the American League’s Most Valuable Player.
The Astros also brought a sense of hope to the city of Houston through their World Series victory and #HoustonStrong mantra. “I felt at that time that I owed them something. So when they were having a hard time, I wanted to give something back to them,” Altuve told sportswriter Tom Verducci.
Altuve and Watt positively influence the Houston community in different but powerful ways. The two hope to come back and have successful 2018 seasons.
