I don’t know a spin bowler from a golden duck, but those who follow cricket will offer these phrases as part of their passionate play-by-play when following the action of a cricket match. For Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, cricket jargon must now be part of the breakfast conversation in the family household.
With an Island that has viewed the Mets and Islanders as their home teams, the arrival of cricket’s World Cup in the heart of Eisenhower Park comes as a pleasant but unexpected surprise. It certainly does for the county’s food and hospitality industry, not to mention Nassau County government coffers. It is estimated that the tournament will generate at least $150 million in economic activity.
County Executive Blakeman has consistently told his business audiences that he views himself as the county’s chief marketing officer, pitching business, investment and jobs. He knows you either find new sources of private sector revenue to pay for government, or you are faced with raising taxes or cutting services. So when the opportunity arose to pitch World Cup executives that Nassau County would be delighted to host their week-long championship, he lobbied their selection committee.
While the county is spending money on areas ranging from public safety to hold 34,000 daily fans, to creating a temporary arena that can accommodate those individuals, Blakeman has computed the event’s revenue far exceeds expenses. In addition to restaurants and hotels, visitors are also expected to spend on consumer shopping, golf courses and even charter boat rentals. Many of these amenities come with a sales tax destined for Nassau County.
Given that cricket is considered the second-most popular sport in the world, with strong followings in places such as India, there is also the not incidental matter of international visitors being exposed to Nassau County’s “Gold Coast” for the first time.
What has gone largely unnoticed is how Nassau County successfully put together the logistics support for this tournament in a relatively short period of time. In an era when development can take years, the county coordinated a broad range of diverse elements that ranged from parking to restroomsfrom refreshment vendors to several layers of police protection.
And then there was the challenge of physically creating the arena. With tens of thousands of fans in the bleachers cheering on their team, they are rightfully focused on the win. However, those who appreciate what it took to get them there have reason to be amazed at the county’s accomplishment.
For Bruce Blakeman, he needs to adopt a long-standing cricket slang; the term ‘Biff.” We are told it is used to refer to a powerful and aggressive batting stylean essential skill in the game. Cricket commentators tell us it is applied to batters respected for their ability to hit the ball hard.
Joshua Liebman is partner with Rosenberg Calica Birney Liebman & Ross in Garden City.
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