Some people might say it is weird for one man to look up to another man, but I don’t see a problem with it. What JJ Watt is doing for the Houston, TX community and its surrounding areas is something very admirable. After the devastating Hurricane Harvey struck Houston, the city in which he plays for, one of the scariest pass rushers in the league is now giving back to his city in an amazing way.
What started out as a social media post looking for donations has now blossomed into a fundraising effort that has raised over $6 million dollars and counting. While many people may think that many professional athletes are overpaid divas and they should just shut up and do their job, JJ Watt is using his platform as a professional athlete to make a real difference.
JJ Watt is known to be one of the most prolific pass rushers in the NFL today. Many teams have to spend extra time game planning for him and how they will attempt to block him. While he may be known as a beast by many on the field, Watt’s acts of kindness off the field are nothing new. If you have followed Watt throughout his career, you would know that he is a big guy with a big heart.
Years ago, Watt caught wind that a 12-year-old cancer patient wasn’t able to go to school anymore because he was fighting leukemia at his home in Splendora, TX. This 12-year-old was a HUGE Watt fan and even named the robot that he sent to school for him after JJ. With Watt being the guy that he is, he decided to visit the young boy at his home one afternoon and the two of them spent a couple of hours together playing football in the backyard. Watt even went as far as giving him a pair of autographed shoes, gloves and a jersey with the words, “stay strong” on written on the back. In 2013, a video proposal from a 6-year-old girl surfaced on Youtube. The girl was in tears because she wasn’t 25 and therefore she couldn’t marry JJ Watt. Thanks to the video going viral, JJ found this out and he “proposed” to the little girl and the two of them were married for the day.
While you might be saying, “Dalton, it’s easy for you to be a Watt fan. He’s from Wisconsin.” I get it. But even if he didn’t play for Bucky in his college days, I still would like to think that he would be one of my favorite players. It would be one thing for him to constantly talk about all of the things that he does for charity or for him to just simply drop a large chunk of money into a project, but he is actually living his promises out through his actions. He’s going out and building those connections with people who are in need, kids that look up to him and giving back.
Yes, JJ Watt is a fun player to watch on Sundays, but I am rooting for him so much more because of the things that he does off the field.
If you'd like to donate to the victims of Hurricane Harvey, go to YouCaring.com/JJWatt
