Watt and Altuve share SI’s Sportsperson of the Year award
HOUSTON — J.J. Watt raised more than $37 million for Hurricane Harvey relief efforts and Jose Altuve led the Houston Astros to their first World Series title, both giving hope to the city as it picked up the pieces from the devastating storm.
On Monday night the two were honoured by Sports Illustrated when they were given the magazine’s prestigious Sportsperson of the Year award. Sports Illustrated executive editor Steve Cannella said they chose the pair because Watt and Altuve perfectly embodied the Houston Strong slogan the city adopted in the wake of the August hurricane and its catastrophic flooding.
To celebrate the award, given annually since 1954 to honour a player, coach or team who has best exhibited athletic achievement and sportsmanship on and off the field, the players share this month’s Sports Illustrated cover. Looking dapper in matching dark-colored suits and white dress shirts, they are pictured smiling broadly, with their arms slung over other’s shoulders and a headline that declares: ‘Houston Strong.’
“I grew up in Wisconsin and I remember when I was in school I saw Brett Favre as the SI Sportsperson of the Year and I thought that was awesome,” Watt told The Associated Press. “So now to be able to be on one myself and share it with Jose and have it represent the city of Houston and everything we’ve been through I think it obviously holds a little bit of extra meaning.”