Houston v. Dallas: Houstonia Magazine Answers The Question With J.J. Watt's Help

Our friends at Houstonia Magazine are about to deliver an issue that tackles a question that has frequently been pondered here at BRB, at various bars across the state, and quite possibly in your living room (if you're the type to allow Dallas people in your home). Houston or Dallas? Intent on not messing around, Houstonia enlisted the assistance of Houston's most beloved athlete, a gentleman by the name of Justin James Watt, in answering the question once and for all. The issue, which hits newstands on Monday (July 29th), also features a new interview with J.J. Watt you won't find anywhere else. More details from the press release:

SagaCity Media President Nicole Vogel announced that the company had taken the unusual step of creating not one but two covers for the August issue of Houstonia, both of them featuring iconic Texans star J.J. Watt, who sat for a rare photo shoot with the magazine. "August means one thing around here, the start of the football preseason," says Vogel. "If you’re a Texans fan—and who isn’t?—you can never have enough J.J." The two covers of the August issue, which hits newsstands July 29, will be sold at H-E-B, Central Market, Kroger, Randalls, Whole Foods Market, Barnes & Noble, Wal-Mart and more, where the magazine is currently the city’s top-selling title.

"There’s no question that J.J. Watt is the biggest sports star in town," says Scott Vogel, the editorial director of Houstonia, the premier monthly publication dedicated to America’s fourth largest city. "But it’s Watt’s extraordinary character that convinced us to feature him on the cover. From his emotional on-field performances to his status as a bona fide role model to his charity work with the J.J. Watt Foundation, Watt embodies the dynamic spirit of our city in a way few others do."

That spirit is evident in Peter Holley’s interview with the 24-year-old, "Watt’s Inside," also in the August Houstonia, a revealing look at the superstar’s Wisconsin boyhood, his commitment to expanding after-school programs in low-income neighborhoods, and of course his newfound fame, both the perks (money) and pitfalls (fans camping out on his lawn).

On what other NFL team can you find a player with the talent and charisma of J.J. Watt? Certainly not the Dallas Cowboys, which may be reason enough to prefer the Bayou City. But there are more, many more. In fact, Houstonia’s August cover story, the impertinent"Houston versus Dallas," skewers Big D in a big way, promising "273 reasons the rivalry’s over and we won." A 14-page package celebrating the forces—cultural, social, culinary and more—behind Houston’s rise to national and international prominence, Houstonia’s August cover story will have the whole town talking. Maybe two whole towns.

So on Monday, treat yourself to an issue of Houstonia. In the meantime, you can admire this behind-the-scenes video from Watt's photoshoot for the magazine.