Nope, they weren't. It may have been debatable 2 years ago... now, its not even a race. Watt has overtaken both of them in Houston and in the country. Sure, there is a case for worldwide due to the vast numbers in china and because NFL football isn't as popular outside this nation as other sports are... but in this nation, the NFL is by far the king, and JJ Watt is one of the few players that sits at the head of the table. There's also a case that him being a white american without an accent lends himself to more commercials, cameos on hit TV shows, etc.... whatever the most politically correct reason may be, those things do add to his popularity (and they weren't even options for Hakeem who preferred to not get over-exposed anyways)(.
And right now, in Houston, most kids and young adults have a much better idea of who JJ Watt is, than Yao Ming ever was. Yao's legacy, in Houston, will be slightly limited due to never achieving a ton of success and his short playing time. Appreciated, yes... always remembered, yes... but even when he was playing I couldn't help but perceive a lot of skepticism, criticism, underappreciatedness, and eventually disappointment over injury during his actual playing career. Same thing happened with Hakeem UNTIL he won it all.
This just in: athlete retired for four years less popular with local children than current athlete with inescapable media presence. I don't disagree with you, but that's a silly way to qualify importance. We're all posting on a basketball BBS, so I'm sure we've all experienced the frustration of watching a contending NBA team go under-the-radar amidst exhaustive coverage of our perpetually-mediocre football team. But, that's Houston. If we truly want to have Watt reach that Hakeem/Biggio/Bagwell/Earl Campbell level of Houston reverence, the Texans need to make the playoffs and beat somebody other than the Cincinnati Bengals.
Sure. But I'm separating popularity from accomplishment/all time great. Watt is not the greatest Houston athlete of all time. But, he is the most popular of all time. That is all.
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True, but Watt's career has an easy argument for greatest 4-year run in Houston history. JJ's advantage is his stats compared to his peers. His TFLs, QB-Hits, and PDs dwarf the next best totals. Dude might be 50+ QBHs and TFLs ahead of whoever is 2nd. He's probably 5x better than the next best lineman in PDs and, in some cases, he beats DBs in that category. As great as Hakeem was, he wasn't out-blocking, stealing or rebounding the next best totals by double or triple. Campbell wasn't out-rushing the runner up by double or quadruple. Then, Watt's TE ability adds an entire other dimension. The competition at C and the great championship runs help Hakeem's case, but it's much easier for 1 b-baller to effect a game vs 1 footballer, save QB.
Your initial statement. So how do you prove this? In this nation the quarterback is the only king in NFL circles unless the other position player is an outspoken person or does things outside the field of play to garner attention- ie. T.O in years past, Richard Sherman as of last year. No ****. You didn't say right now in your initial post. You said ever. When Yao was still playing I think Yao's popularity could be considered on the same level or greater than JJ's even if Yao didn't do a single commercial. Merely the fact that he was who he is, a ridiculously tall, Chinese top pick that the Rockets drafted to lift the franchise. EVERYONE knew Yao. I'm talking not just young people but old people. Not just Americans born and raised in the United States but older Africans, Indian, Central American immigrants in Houston. How many of them do you seriously think know who JJ Watt is right now? Compare that with those who would know about the 7'6" giant that was talked about on Houston tv consistently even before his first season in the league began. Still, JJ Watt is very popular right now but my point remains, when Yao was still an active player, his popularity was a level above. His legacy(lack of great success and short playing time) isn't the same as his popularity and didn't affect it in terms of his reach amongst Houstonians.(Not even mentioning his national or global reach). As mentioned, he might be the most popular of all time to you and maybe other Americans you know but from my personal observation and interaction with older immigrants in the Houston area, Yao was easily more popular in his playing days than JJ is right now. Yao played in a sport in which it's easier to recognize players in the sport. JJ plays in a sport in which his face is covered the majority of the time. He is in a lot more ads each year but even that isn't enough to extend his reach to non-Texans and non-NFL fans(all over the USA, much less the world). In conclusion, sure, JJ Watt is more popular as of 2015 than Yao Ming IS (in Houston and perhaps the USA) but in his playing days Yao WAS likely more popular in Houston,and nationwide than JJ Watt IS right now. To say JJ Watt is the most popular Houston athlete of all time (regardless of other Houston athletes in the time frame in which they played) is incorrect on so many levels and hopefully i've helped you understand why.
Most popular now, yes without a doubt. Of all time, not mathematically possible. Basketball is viewed on a global scale which is much bigger than football which is mainly a US sport. When the Rockets had Yao and T Mac - the amount of people following the Rockets especially those two in 5 or 6 major cities in China is higher than all of the people in the US who cumulatively watch football. In the US, when the Rockets played on the road, opposing arenas would be filled just to see Yao. Teams would have marketing promotions such as Asian American night that would center around the Rockets visit. When the Yao met Shaq for the first time, it was a global event. That Rockets Lakers game was on the front page of one of the NYC local papers. Yao was also on the cover of Time Magazine, Business Week, etc. Yao transcended an audience that went beyond sports. To make the case that JJ's popularity goes beyond Yao's just does not make any sense.
I've already said Yao was more popular on a global scale... and certainly the first go-around/rookie year was more of a spectacle than anything else... but JJ being a mega-star in the most popular sport (hell, the most popular form of entertainment) in this country (exceeds the NBA+MLB combined) goes a long way to what I was getting at. Also, as Yao's career progressed (and he actually got better), he wasn't just a spectacle anymore... he was a really good player (that many here started to take for granted and actually ended up being disappointed by his defciencies). There's also the fact that Texans pre-season games routinely out-rated Yao regular season games... and that was before JJ Watt even existed. Lastly, Watt has taken this mantle solely based on his play... and nothing else. He's reached a level of play (and place in his sport) that's only been exceeded by Hakeem in this city (i.e. - the absolute best player on his side of the ball, hands-down).
So if you mean is JJ more popular than Yao (at their peaks in popularity) within Houston then perhaps there is a case for both. JJ vs. Yao on a national level would go to Yao but within Houston you could have a point. If you could only meet one of them face to face, who would you meet at their height in popularity? I think among sports fans in Houston, there would be a split with a strong case for both. But for non sports fans, it would be Yao definitely just because he and his background were so unique and would be more well-known to non sports fans is my guess
I actually think JJ is more popular in the US as well... simply because of how much bigger NFL football is here than anything else. Yao was initially a must-see when he first came here, but after the first go-round, there was a decrease in interest nationally (even though he got better) as he got older.
At the peak of Yao's popularity, I remember it was almost a traveling circus act when the Rockets went on to road. Anyways, we can make a case for both. Funny thing is that if the Texans suck this year (highly likely) and end up drafting a stud QB like Goff with the top pick and he turns out to be another Aaron Rodgers, there would be more Goff jerseys in Houston than Watt, just because of the position.
I'll state again that you are wrong on this(in terms of comparing both at the height of their popularity-when Yao was active and still playing). I'm sure you'll stick to believing that. All good.
