Announcing Barclays Center's incentive for (needed) workers to get vaccinated, de Blasio salutes arena as "incredible success" and predicts "great parade" next year for the team "they gave us"

Yesterday's announcement by the Barclays Center of a $25,000 drawing and other prizes for vaccinated workers wasn't just a press release. Arena/team CEO John Abbamondi joined Mayor Bill de Blasio at a press event in Staten Island, and was saluted by the mayor.

Lame-duck de Blasio--after often seeming testy, disengaged, or under-informed during his term--was in happy-summer mode, with some high praise for the arena, calling it "an incredible success," and for the team "they gave us," saying the Nets would've been a champion but for injuries. He predicted a "great parade" next year after the team's championship.

He (of course) didn't mention little things like the lack of the affordable housing he promised, the rising price of tickets, or the question of public support for sports facilities.

The video, embedded below, shows the exchange starting about 9:56. de Blasio said:

And now, speaking of vaccination requirements, I want to say, there are leaders in business, in government, nonprofits, you name it – there are leaders who step forward, there are organizations that step forward, and make a big difference, and show the path for everyone else. And I want to commend everyone out there who's making clear how important it is to get everyone vaccinated. 

Today, we're going to talk about the Barclays Center, which is walking distance from my home in Brooklyn, which has been an incredible success for Brooklyn and New York City. Home, of course, of the Nets and the Liberty, an early adopter of the Key to NYC approach in terms of making sure employees and customers are vaccinated. 

Now, a really powerful effort being put together by the parent company, BSE Global, the company that is behind the Barclays Center, and they're doing everything – and they're showing companies how to do it, in my opinion, doing everything to make sure all their employees get vaccinated, including amazing prizes and incentives being offered to their employees. This is a great model for so many other companies. 

And I want you to hear about it from the CEO of the Brooklyn Nets and the Barclays Center. And I want to tell you what great work he and his team have done. Obviously, the team they gave us this year with the Brooklyn Nets – extraordinary, but for injuries would have been world champions, and the amazing work that happens all the time at the Barclays Center. My pleasure to introduce the CEO of the Brooklyn Nets and the Barclays Center, John Abbamondi.

 

John Abbamondi:

Thank you Mr. Mayor for having me and I was there in Central Park on the weekend and what an amazing show that was. It was a shame that it had to get cut short but congratulations to you and obviously to Clive Davis and our friends at Live Nation. I think it just shows how important the arts are in New York City,

And why we think that the Key to New York City is such an important initiative for us at the Brooklyn Nets, the Barclays Center, the New York Liberty. We are, in accordance with the city's mandate, requiring all of our employees and our customers, everybody who comes into Barclays Center will have to be vaccinated, at least one dose starting September 13. We strongly support this initiative. We believe--we know that vaccines are one of the most important ways, one of the most important tools that we have to fight this pandemic. And so this initiative is so important to getting New York City through this crisis. 

And Mayor, I thank you for your leadership on this point, and, and we're grateful for it. In our own way to help encourage not only our staff to get vaccinated, but speaking also to all the vaccinated workers in the city who might have interest in working and joining us for this upcoming season, this NBA season, it begins soon, and are interested in working at Barclays Center, we are launching a contest. We are going to be giving away $25,000.

And to enter this contest, it's very simple: you just have to be a vaccinated worker, and you get one entry in the drawing for every shift that you make yourself available to work at Barclays Center for a game or for a concert. And we're going to be giving away other weekly prizes throughout this season. So we encourage all of our employees to get vaccinated. We encourage others who are vaccinated to apply at BarclaysCenter.com.

And we look forward to seeing all of you at Barclays Center. Our season starts--the Nets season I should say starts, our first pre-season game is October 8. We have a great slate of concerts coming up. Prior to that we have the MTV Video Music Awards in September, and a great lineup of shows all throughout this fall. So we hope to see all of New York at Barclays Center this season. We hope to keep you all safe, and we know that vaccines are the key to doing that. So thank you.

de Blasio:
John repeat again--what is the what is the top prize that people can win in your organization?

Abbamondi:

It's $25,000. We're going to be giving that that prize away on December 31, New Year's Eve, and every shift that a worker makes themselves available to work, they don't even have to work, they just have to make themselves available to work. They'll be entered into the drawing every shift that they make themselves available.

de Blasio:

So long as they're vaccinated,

Abbamondi:

As long as they're vaccinated.

de Blasio:

That's a damn good prize, let me tell you.

Abbamondi:

I think so too.

de Blasio went back into cheerleader mode:

I really appreciate that. I appreciate the leadership you're showing, the Nets are showing, Barclays Center is showing. I predict – it's breaking news, I want you to hear it here – everyone's going to be healthy this year, that's my prediction. And when everyone is healthy, the Nets are going all the way, and this is going to be your championship year. There is my prediction. I feel in my heart and I'm looking forward to an amazing celebration of the Nets this year. The Nets are an amazing team. They did extraordinary stuff and they will be healthy and we will have a great parade, starting at the Barclays Center. That is my prediction for the Brooklyn Nets. 

Now, I also want to say, people in this city who step up, it's amazing. John Abbamondi, thank you for stepping up. And you mentioned Clive Davis, Doug Davis, what they did for this city with the concert – a labor of love, for sure. There are so many leaders in business and entertainment in so many parts of this city who want to do right by New York City and go the extra mile. And Clive and Doug did it this weekend with so many other great pieces – great people who were part of it. John, you're doing it today. Thank you so much. Thank you very much.