JJ Watt is a big deal in American Football. A three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and five-time All-Pro, the recently retired 34-year-old is a first-ballot Hall of Famer who helped raise almost £30million for victims of Hurricane Harvey when he played for the Houston Texans. Watt and his wife, Kealia, have bought a minority stake in Premier League new boys Burnley and to get to know the supporters, he went on a pub crawl in Burnley on Monday, starting at the Royal Dyche, then Vintage Clarets and ending at Turf Moor. He explained his trip on the BBC Breakfast sofa this week, saying “I want to earn their trust by showing them how much we care and how passionate we are. It’s research, I’m doing research and lots of pints of Guinness along the way. But it was a lot of fun and really good to get to know them on a personal level, and hopefully they get to know us as well.”
Watt may not be a recognisable face in east Lancashire but he has still already made more of a splash than fellow American Alan Pace – chairman of the Clarets since a leveraged buy-out in 2020. His estimated worth of £42m probably helps too. Watt and Kealia have acknowledged the story of Wrexham, whose Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney helped inspire their new venture, and have been in touch with them for some advice.
After years of fearing American investment in the beautiful game would lead to an ‘Americanisation’ of the sport, it is ironic to hear Watt admit the very idea of the ups and downs and highs and lows are what made it so compelling. Watt has said “I’ve learned that the history, tradition and supporters, it’s all about respecting and honouring that. Promotion and relegation, the highs and lows, the consequences are incredible, so we have been looking for a club for a long time.” So, British football has attracted another charismatic, famous American owner seemingly in it for the right reasons (memories, not money).