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With the devastation of Hurricane Harvey hitting Houston, many athletes and personalities are stepping in. While the hurricane is resulting in many families leaving behind their homes, many forms of aid are coming from the big leagues.
.@HoustonTexans players offer their thoughts on those affected by the current situation in Houston. https://t.co/Ep6tk3xt8c
— NFL (@NFL) August 29, 2017
How Athletes Are Helping
Many of the sports world’s faces of Houston are using their voice to aid in the recovery of Houston. One name many fans will know in the recovery battle: J.J. Watt.
Recovery efforts from Hurricane Harvey will be massive.
We must come together to help rebuild our communities.https://t.co/SR6DmnNbyM pic.twitter.com/iiMsG2i4dl— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) August 27, 2017
Watt posted the video to his official Twitter account on Sunday, creating a website to help aid those in need. His goal for this fundraiser is $500,000, $100,000 of which is Watt’s donation to help those in need. The Houston Texans organization have also gone on to donate $1 million to the United Way of Greater Houston Relief Fund for additional aid. The donations is being matched by the NFL Foundation.
While his initial goal is met, Watt would announce that his original number has doubled. Knowing the spirited nature of Watt, he has a new goal in mind. His foundation would hit $1 million and is now looking to hit $1.5 million.
$1 MILLION!
New Goal: $1.5 Millionhttps://t.co/SR6DmnNbyM pic.twitter.com/YUzbCLWgBa
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) August 29, 2017
Houston Rockets owner Leslie Alexander is also helping the fight. Alexander has donated $4 million to the Hurricane Relief Fund. Texans head coach Bill O’Brien is going into the 2017 season for Houston as he dedicated this season to those affected as well.
How Harvey Affects Sports
In the aftermath of Harvey, the Houston area is now dealing with floods. As a result of that, the impending series between the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers will now happen in Florida. This comes after a back-and-forth affair when deciding where the series will take place. After many talks and negotiations, the terms would be set for this series to go to St. Petersburg, Florida at the home of the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Astros will play this week’s scheduled three-game series vs. the Texas Rangers at Tropicana Field in St Petersburg, Florida.
— Houston Astros (@astros) August 28, 2017
Meanwhile, in the NFL, the preseason matchup between the Texans and Dallas Cowboys will now be in AT&T Stadium in Dallas, TX. The preseason tilt is now in Dallas due to floods in Houston preventing the game from being played in NRG Stadium, the site of Super Bowl LI.
https://twitter.com/HoustonTexans/status/902293731491106822
While the tragedy is on the minds of the players, these two teams are hoping to use this game as a platform to help relieve the city, even if it is in a microscopic amount. Sports truly brings people together for good, or in this instance, from bad. Rivalries are being set aside to help spread a message of resiliency and positivity to those suffering from the storm. Even if it helps for a few minutes, these athletes are looking to use sports as a platform to help the residents rise above and know that better days are coming.
Other Affects and How to Help
In the aftermath of this national disaster, every bit of help is useful. There are many ways to help those affected by this horrible tragedy, whether it’s donating money or clothes.
Food banks will be in overdrive: here's Galveston https://t.co/2yc656U6xG & Corpus https://t.co/OK7V4GZ9Fi & Houston https://t.co/xLZidH9JuJ
— Jia Tolentino (@jiatolentino) August 27, 2017
Athletes across all sports are fighting back with ways to help. Those athletes include former WCW and WWE World Champion Booker T., who would have to miss WWE Raw last night due to Harvey.
We are safe here in Houston. Thank you for all the support. #HoustonStrong https://t.co/uM9ukGMg1g
— Booker T. Huffman (@BookerT5x) August 28, 2017
All in all, the spirit of Houston is still as strong as ever. While the effects are still raging, there is no doubt that these men and women are doing what it takes to get back stronger than ever. We here at ESPN Gainesville are sending our best wishes and undying support to the city of Houston during this tough time. There are many ways to help out those affected, whether it’s donating money or clothes. Any little bit of help will go a long way in the fight for recovery.
