Everyone loves JJ Watt, the Pewaukee native and former Wisconsin Badgers player who serves as a defensive end for the Houston Texans, and recently, he headed back to Pewaukee – to his hometown fire station with his dad, to “Beat the Heat” and pay tribute to some real heroes. The son of retired firefighter John Watt, J.J. Watt says in the promotional video for Gatorade that he used to fear his father’s workplace.
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A three-minute documentary in which J.J. Watt puts on the firefighter’s gear for a sweaty summer workout. J.J. tried his hand at the physical and technical training firefighters conduct in order to perform their daily duties which, as JJ points out, offer much greater consequences than he encounters on an National Football League field. “Unlike an athlete, we don’t know when the game is and how long it is going to be, so we have to be pre-hydrate and be ready to go”.
JJ pulled water hoses, climbed flights of stairs and put out fires in 86-degree weather in full firefighter gear to teach youth athletes the importance of heat safety and staying hydrated. The video was produced for Gatorade’s Beat the Heat campaign.
“At the end of the day, if I screw up, I have a bad play”.
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“To me, there’s no comparison (between football and firefighting). These guys don’t get the headlines, but they’re the ones saving lives”.
