NFL Boycott

Dallas bar boycotts NFL games over domestic violence issues

Fed up by NFL attitudes towards abuse, North Dallas bar Jack Mac's Swill & Grill has issued a football boycott and will not show its games at its bar.

"Good Evening Folks, Running a bar in Texas is not the easiest thing in the world, especially when it comes to football, so I hope you will all take the stand with me, as of today, we will no longer show ANY NFL games until the league changes its domestic abuse policies," owner Jack MacDonald said on the bar's Facebook page.

"It has gotten to the point where money is more important than women's and children's health and life are concerned, this is unacceptable in the world that I want to live in. Please join me in my small attempt to stop adding fuel to the fire and money to their coffers."

"I know I can't bring down the NFL. But every once in a while something comes along and you have to take your stance," bar owner Jack MacDonald says.

MacDonald, a veteran bar-owner and restaurateur who opened Jack Mac's in 2012, says he knows he's not about to single-handedly bring down the NFL but felt like it was time to take a stance against the NFL's seeming forgiveness towards domestic abuse.

Two high-profile incidents have emerged in the past week including Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson.

"It's two big guys in one week that come up on the news, but really it's everything that’s going on and the NFL does nothing about it," MacDonald says. "They suspend one of them for a game and the other for a year. Let’s face it, he'll be back on the field before the end of the year. And people will cheer. I heard more people talking about how their fantasy football is blown. Ray Rice knocked a girl out. I don't believe they should get special treatment because they're ball players."

MacDonald says that he doesn't follow football a ton. "But I do have a passion for not hitting people," he says.

He recognizes that not showing football on TV will probably hurt his business with some people. "We have TVs and it’s football season in Texas," he says. "I don't push myself as a sports bar. But when games are on, they’re on, and there’s a demand for it. On Sundays, we would ordinarily play football all day."

For the most part, the comments on the bar's Facebook page have been positive, with patrons affirming their dedication.

"This kind of stuff is why I come to your place," says one. "Considering the massive amounts of business you might lose over this, I applaud you for sticking to your beliefs," says another. One commenter defends the NFL, saying that they did change their policy, and hired some women as senior advisors to help shape their domestic violence and sexual assault policies.

"I'm not trying to accomplish anything or get on a platform," MacDonald says. "I didn't do this for publicity, and I certainly didn't do it for business. I know I can't bring down the NFL. I'm not going to bring them to their knees with my small unheard-of pub in North Dallas. It’s not going to happen. But every once in a while something comes along and you have to take your stance. But any organization that will let people continue to work for them that abuse other people in any shape, form or fashion is unacceptable in the world I want to live."

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Giving Back

21 North Texas museums offer free admission to military families this summer

Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum presents Rise Up

Photo courtesy of Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum

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Nearly two dozen Dallas-Fort Worth museums are honoring active duty military personnel and their families with free admission through the Blue Star Museums initiative, May 20-September 4, 2023.

Established by the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, and the U.S. Department of Defense, the Blue Star Museums program annually provides military families free access to 2,000 museums nationwide throughout the summer. The program begins yearly on Armed Forces Day in May and ends on Labor Day.

Free admission is extended to personnel currently serving in the U.S Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard (including those in the Reserve), and all National Guardsman. Members of the U.S. Public Health Commissioned Corps and NOAA Commissioned Corps are also included in the program.

Those who qualify can use their military ID to bring up to five family members - including relatives of those currently deployed. More information about qualifications can be found here.

There is no limit on the number of participating museums that qualifying families may visit. Admission for non-active military veterans, however, is not included.

According to the National Endowment for the Arts website, the initiative was created to help "improve the quality of life for active duty military families" with a specific focus on children. The site states 2 million have had a parent deployed since 2001.

"Blue Star Museums was created to show support for military families who have faced multiple deployments and the challenges of reintegration," the organizers say. "This program offers these families a chance to visit museums this summer when many will have limited resources and limited time to be together."

In Dallas-Fort Worth, participating institutions include well-known art, science, and history museums, as well as smaller museums outside the city limits. Here's a look at all the museums in North Texas that are participating in the Blue Star Museums initiative this year.

In Dallas:

In Fort Worth:

In Garland:

Heritage Crossing – Garland Landmark Museum

In Irving:

Irving Archives and Museum

In Mesquite:

In Cleburne:

In Krum:

Krum Heritage Museum

In Sanger:

Sanger Area Historical Society Museum

More information about Blue Star Museums and a full list of participants can be found on arts.gov.

museums dallas fort worth