Sports Illustrated awards two players ‘Sportsperson of the Year’ and they’re both from Houston

Two Houston sports iconsĀ are bringing home another colossal title: Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year.

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Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt and the Houston Astros second basemanĀ Jose Altuve nabbed the honors from the vaunted sports publication thanks to Watt’s massive collective efforts on the part of Hurricane Harvey relief, and Altuve’s ability to bring home a World Series title to a city still reeling in the aftermath of the storm.

RELATED: Jose Altuve brought the heat on the dance floor to Texas Rangerā€™s Elivs Andrusā€™ wedding

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Says S.I.:

By the third week of September, less than a month after Hurricane Harvey had devastated Houston and its surrounding region, Watt had raised more than $37 million in relief aid. The SOTY candidacy of the Texansā€™ defensive end was unaffected by the gruesome, season-ending leg injury he suffered in Week 5. The three-time Defensive Player of the Yearā€”the best defensive player of his generation, reallyā€”could have had the best season of his career, or the worst. His place as a Sportsperson of the Year had already been engraved.

ā€œNothing J.J. Watt has achieved in his career, or might still achieve, will measure up to what he did for Houston,ā€ says MMQB’s editor-in-chief Peter King.

For Altuve’s part, the American League MVP was lauded for his inspirational impact on the city:

The 5′ 6″ Altuve had his own contribution to Houstonā€™s post-storm recovery. The personal journey of the Astros second baseman is an inspirational one, a classic tale of an underestimated athlete overcoming the longest of odds. And this fall, Altuve was the joyous catalyst for one of the most unlikely World Series runs in recent memory. Championships donā€™t save communities, and we should be careful to assign too much weight to their powers of healing. But what other event can bring a million-plus people together and provide a platform, however ephemeral, to cast aside the differences that drive so many of us to sports in the first place?

ā€œThe city of Houston has treated me really good,ā€ Altuve told S.I.’s Tom Verducci. ā€œI 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.ā€

RELATED:Ā Altuve brought the crowd, with hundreds camping out just to catch a glimpse of the MVP

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