J.J. Watt has been an incredible philanthropist for the city of Houston, and his love has been recognized by the people in a public fashion.
Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt has a big heart, and we’ve seen it in action. From helping Hurricane Harvey victims with a fundraiser than generated $37 million to paying the funeral expenses of the recent school shooting in Santa Fé, Watt has been everywhere.
Now we have a tangible example of how much the city of Houston respects Watt — the man, not just the dominating football player.
One response even said they should name a highway after Watt.
This kind of action is the type of thing that could help Texans fans land in the Fandom 250, our annual ranking of the top 250 fanbases around the world. Houston is showcasing it’s love for it’s star, one who has battled injuries for the past few years.
Watt’s philanthropy seems to be without bounds. He has the J.J. Watt Foundation, which raises money for school programs, Hurricane Harvey relief and other ventures. He even has an annual charity softball game to raise money for the foundation. The future Hall of Famer also got his hands dirty by being directly involved in distribution of food and essentials after the hurricane.
Normally, fans are only giddy about what a player does on the field. In this case, an entire city is enthralled with the man off the field, and when you combine that with his talents on the field, Watt is a rarity.
In a day where we’re constantly talking about players kneeling during the national anthem, it’s nice to see a professional athlete get recognized in a positive light. Watt deserves it for all he has done and will continue to do.
Barring a massive upset, Watt will become the first repeat winner of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.