Houston strong: Sports Illustrated honors Watt, Altuve
Superstars are praised for their work on, off field
NEW YORK — For the manner in which they inspired and embodied a city that showed unflagging resolve through a year of unfathomable loss and historic triumph, J.J. Watt of the Texans and Jose Altuve of the Astros were named Monday as Sports Illustrated’s Sportspersons of the Year.
Watt, the Texans defensive end who raised $37 million to benefit Hurricane Harvey relief efforts, and Altuve, who was named American League Most Valuable Player while leading the Astros to their first World Series title, were announced as 2017 winners of the magazine’s annual award on NBC’s “The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon.”
Watt joined Fallon on the
NBC late-night show to unveil the magazine cover, which depicts him and Altuve in matching dark suits, white shirts and black ties. Altuve was unable to appear because of a previously scheduled engagement.
“We’re so thankful and happy that you exist,” said Fallon, who along with “The Tonight Show” contributed $1 million toward the relief fund.
“I think Jose and I would both tell you it’s more than just two people,” Watt said. “It’s the whole city. On my side, it’s more than 200,000 people who donated money to help rebuild the city. It’s an award that’s so much bigger than sports.”
Sports Illustrated editors initially planned to present the award to Watt but elected also to honor Altuve after the Astros’ sevengame World Series win over the Dodgers.
“That was only right,” Watt said after the show. “(The Astros) did a great job of bringing people together.”
During the World Series, he said he said he could hear his neighbors cheering along with the Astros’ successes as they watched on television.
Watt has missed most of the NFL season after suffering a fractured leg that required surgery. He took the stage at NBC leaning on a cane but told Fallon, “I only carry this for two reasons — to appease my trainer and to get sympathy from my girlfriend.”
He said his recovery hasn’t stopped him from making stops around Houston to see the impact of donations, which are being funneled to charities and agencies that help with house repair, food distribution, child care and health care.
Despite the injury and the Texans’ struggles, he said the manner in which people responded to his call for assistance will leave him with good memories as 2017 draws to a close.
Honored guests
Watt and Altuve will be guests of honor at Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year presentation Tuesday night in Brooklyn. The show will air Friday on NBC Sports Network.
Chris Stone, Sports Illustrated’s editor in chief, said the selection of Watt and Altuve as Sportspersons of the Year reflects the intersection of on- and off-field developments that have dominated sports in 2017.
By picturing Watt and Altuve on the cover with the words “Houston Strong,” Stone said Sports Illustrated also recognizes the city they represent.
“People understand the depth of what Houston endured, and we hope this will bring some measure of excitement and joy while acknowledging that it’s just an award,” he said.
Altuve and Watt are the first Houston athletes to win the award, which the magazine has presented since 1954.
Sports Illustrated on occasion has given the award to multiple honorees from the same city or team but has not done so in more than a decade. The Altuve-Watt combination is most akin to the 1979 award shared by Terry Bradshaw of the Steelers and Willie Stargell of the Pirates after leading Pittsburgh teams to championships.
Stone said the magazine decided in September to honor Watt and was not dissuaded by his season-ending injury. Not since 1992, when it honored tennis great Arthur Ashe in the final months of his life, and 1987, when seven individuals were honored for charitable works, has Sports Illustrated given the Sportsperson of the Year award based on charitable and humanitarian accomplishments.
“The story of sports in 2017 had as much to do with what athletes strove to do off the field as much if not more so than what they accomplished on the field,” Stone said.
‘Literally lifting spirits’
“Hurricane Harvey was a real pivot for us. We know that J.J wasn’t the only one to do extraordinary things, but he used his platform in the way we hope athletes will use their platforms, for the greater good of their communities.”
Altuve also did his part as the face of the Astros, who wore a “Houston Strong” uniform patch in Harvey’s wake.
“J.J. initiated this extraordinary humanitarian relief effort that not only brought aid but projected the portrait of a tough, resilient, unified community,” Stone said. “And then the Astros did their part, which all led to the same story of ‘Houston Strong.’
“Championships don’t save communities, but they do play a role. To award Sportsperson of the Year only to J.J. and not to acknowledge what the Astros had done would have made for an incomplete story. Conversely, to have (honored) the Astros and not include J.J. would be incomplete.”
The combination, he said, offered “the richest, complete story” of how sports and real life intersected in Houston in 2017.
During his segment on Fallon’s show, Watt discussed the work that Houston charities are doing to rebuild Houston and read a letter that he received from Altuve, accompanied by a bottle of the same whiskey Altuve gave his teammates after the series.
“Of all the seasons to do something like this,” Watt said of the Astros’ success. “You’re literally lifting spirits and making people forget about what they’re going through at that minute.”
Tuesday’s Sports Illustrated awards show also will honor Carlos Beltran, the former Astros designated hitter, who donated $1 million to relief efforts in his native Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria, and exiled NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.