(TULSA, Okla.) As alcoholism increases within the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/19/upshot/alcohol-deaths-pandemic.html" target="_blank">white, Native American, female</a>, and <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicoleroberts/2023/08/31/older-adults-alcohol-consumption-is-on-the-rise-so-too-are-accidents/?sh=7f6b1d343b33" target="_blank">older</a> demographics, thought leaders like Jeff Thompson are focused on solutions in Tulsa. 
Data shows the Covid-19 pandemic and self-isolation exacerbated alcohol consumption. A study by the <a href="https://www.rti.org/news/trend-increased-alcohol-consumption-held-steady-pandemic-dragged-new-survey-results-show" target="_blank">National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism</a> shows consumption increased 39 percent from February to November 2020, with a 30 percent rise in binge drinking.
After losing his friend, a local chef and restaurateur, to alcoholism in 2019, Thompson set out to create safer community spaces and alternatives to the traditional bar scene, while not skimping on the atmosphere. 
“I’ve been sober for 21 years, and I’ve loved bars since I was old enough to visit,” Thompson said. “There is a vibrant energy that I think is essential, but it can be a minefield of temptation for newly sober or not-yet-sober individuals. Now with things like Dry January, and Sober October, people are experimenting with this lifestyle, so it seems like an idea whose time has come.” 
Bolstered by <a href="https://www.buildersandbackers.com/building/upcoming-idea-accelerator-cohort" target="_blank">the Builders + Backers Idea Accelerator</a>, Straight Edge Lounge Sober Speakeasy is a pop-up experience that not only offers Instagram worthy mocktails, alcohol-free beers, other traditional and exotic beverages and lite food accompaniments, but also yoga, meditation, and counseling sessions. 
“Although we take our name from the Straight-Edge movement that grew out of the DC punk scene in the early 80’s, we are not advocating that people need to change behavior before they see a personal need to do so,” Thompson said. “Many people can consume alcohol in moderation and have a very wholesome relationship to that substance. Some people, like me and a bunch of my friends, don’t have that kind of relationship so abstinence is the best path for us.” 
The concept will premiere in Tulsa on September 22 during the Straight-Edge Sober Lounge Speakeasy’s Pop-Up Launch Party, taking place at Foolish Things Coffee Company on South Main Street from 6 to 10 PM.  
Thompson said the support for their concept has been encouraging thus far. 
“Miranda Kaiser donated all of her tables, chairs and light fixtures from Laffa when that restaurant closed in 2022, the community has really stepped up, national brands of ready to drink mocktails have offered to sponsor,” Thompson said. “It’s just thrilling and a little scary.” 
And being a part of their cause isn’t just good for self, Thompson said. Some of the proceeds from their first event will also go toward the Sangha House Men’s Recovery Community. 
“I know the executive director, Marcus Abernathy, and he was an initial collaborator as the idea was taking shape in 2019,” Thompson said. “We have a shared vision for the need for this type of venue in Tulsa.” 
Above all else, Thompson said, they hope their venue will be an inclusive, non-pretentious environment that does not push for sobriety as a way of life, but rather offers a dynamic non-alcoholic alternative for people who want one.
Want to be a part of the scene? Tickets to the Straight-Edge Lounge Launch Party range from $0 to $86 and can be purchased <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/straight-edge-lounge-launch-party-tickets-697578785927" target="_blank">here</a>.

Oklahoma

Sober bar concept pours into Tulsa on Sept 22

Jessica Penn

(NATIONAL) When Netflix announced the return of the sports series “<a href="https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/untold-volume-3">Untold</a>” in August 2023, the streaming platform promised stories wilder than ever. The tale of collegiate star quarterback and Heisman trophy winner Johnny Manziel, laden with drug abuse, partying, and a mostly overlooked scandal, certainly delivered. 
Meanwhile, the unfortunate mental health struggles of “Johnny Football’ delivered a poignant tone to an otherwise sensational story.
During Manziel’s freshman year, his performances as a starting quarterback for Texas A&amp;M was the talk of the town. An unforgettable moment in his career was defeating Nick Saban’s Alabama Roll Tide on their home field. 
According to Draftkings, Texas A&amp;M <a href="https://dknetwork.draftkings.com/2023/8/4/23802782/johnny-manziel-netflix-documentary-untold-volume-3">raised</a> $740 million while Manziel was in his heyday.
Back in 2011, winning big games resulted in big donations and endorsements for the universities and athletic programs. During this time, NCAA student athletes could not be compensated for their name, image, and likeness. But many, particularly those who carried their athletic programs, would seek out more than just scholarship anyway, even if it went against the collegiate NCAA rules. 
And Manziel was one of them. It appears the fabricated tale of a white kid from Texas suddenly coming into oil money just didn’t sound too many alarms at the time.
In reality, Manziel was receiving thousands of dollars, trips, gifts, celebrity access and even money from signing autographs from his collegiate fame. And disregarding one important fact: what’s posted on the internet, stays on the internet. 
Despite “no evidence” of his rule breaking actions, the <a href="https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/9609389/johnny-manziel-texas-aggies-suspended-1st-half-season-opener-rice-owls">NCAA and A&amp;M</a> agreed to a half-game suspension for Manziel in 2013. 
In a 2021 <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/sports/johnny-manziel-sold-autographs-while-at-texas-am.amp">interview</a> with a Barstool Sports podcast, Manziel admitted to receiving compensation for signing autographs, and that he did not regret it.
<a href="https://twitter.com/JamesYoder/status/1689144085334949888">A tweet</a> from sports commentator James T. Yoder following the Untold episode airing on August 8 posed the question “How terrible was media in 2012 - no one fact-checked ANYTHING about Manziel or Manti Te’o?” It appears “the media” was paying attention to something, as outrageous Manziel moments continued to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biggest-johnny-manziel-controversies-2014-7#he-got-kicked-out-of-a-frat-party-when-he-went-to-the-university-of-texas-7">trend </a>online long after the scandal was exposed.
While responsible media does play a role in the whistleblowing process, it often takes a connected individual (IE the whistleblower) or individuals to alert the media to rule breaking and other wrongdoing. 
During discussion of their <a href="http://justice-everywhere.org/democracy/the-news-media-are-a-watchdog-but-so-are-you/?fbclid=IwAR3JA5OmOddF81AXKGvayomV0HMXLCMuFbONwD2J7uH7GUFnXLVTA9VOEW4">Journal of Applied Philosophy</a> article Failing Institutions, Whistle-Blowing, and the Role of the News Media Professors, Emanuela Ceva and Dorota Mokrosinska say “most of the news media are private corporate actors moved by their own interests and market dynamics” and “the preservation of a well-ordered society makes, therefore, its members mutually accountable for their conduct in their institutional capacity.” 
And yet the universe (and the internet) has its way of shedding light on injustices. 
While this new narrative could simply focus on scandalous deals, lies, and coverups, Manziel is using it to spark the conversation about reinstating Reggie Bush’s Heisman Trophy. 
Bush was stripped of his own Heisman back in 2010, following an investigation that revealed he, too, received benefits for his name, image, and likeliness during his collegiate football career at USC. 
<a href="https://www.si.com/college/tamu/news/texas-am-tamu-aggies-reggie-bush-johnny-manziel-heisman-twitter">Last month, Manziel tweeted</a> “There is nothing I want to see more than for Reggie to get his Heisman back. I think what the NCAA did in that situation is b*******. He is one of the best college players in the history and deserves to be on the stage with us every year. The only difference between my story and Reggie’s is that my illegal activities did not start until after my Heisman season.”
There is also the fact the NCAA said they found no evidence of Manziel’s wrongdoing, but plenty of Bush’s. 
And, of course, that Manziel is white and Bush is Black, which have prompted some to voice <a href="https://thespun.com/more/top-stories/fans-call-out-heisman-double-standard-between-johnny-manziel-reggie-bush">concerns</a> that race played a determining factor in the outcomes. 
NIL deals for student athletes is perhaps at least a little less scandalous today. Student athletes can now receive compensation from their own <a href="https://app.verifiednews.network/articles/share/2738">name, image, and likeness</a>, making the statement “work hard, play harder” the gospel for both men and women student athletes racking in multiple lucrative deals.
Manziel, now 30 years old, later went on to play two seasons with the Cleveland Browns in the NFL, followed by time with the Canadian Football League and the Alliance of American Football. He was inducted into the Texas A&amp;M Athletics Hall of Fame last year.

Jessica Penn

Sober bar concept pours into Tulsa on Sept 22

Finger-pointing follows Johnny Football documentary