Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority Exec Dir Scott McKibben said that negotiations are "progressing in a naming-rights deal for the stadium." In Las Vegas, Michael Gehlken noted "no sponsor was assigned" during the Raiders’ and A's past three seasons. McKibben: "It’s fair to say we’re in some rather serious discussions with a prospective naming-rights partner." He did "not divulge the potential partner’s identity" (REVIEWJOURNAL.com, 2/5).
GATHERING INTEL: In Buffalo, Jay Skurski noted Pegula Sports & Entertainment continues to "seek input from fans regarding what they’d like to see in either a new or renovated stadium" for the Bills. The next step is a "focus group" at HarborCenter next week. Fans who had "previously completed a survey regarding the Bills’ stadium project were contacted by email Monday night." The email said, "CAA Icon will be conducting a limited number of focus groups in Buffalo." The consulting firm was hired by PS&E in November to explore stadium options, including "extensively renovating New Era Field" (BUFFALO NEWS, 2/5).
CUTTING INCENTIVES: In Philadelphia, Harold Brubaker noted concessionaire Aramark is "delaying bonus payouts for thousands of managers and slashing 401(k) match." The bonuses impact "low level managers, whose duties include overseeing cafeterias and running uniform operations." The company declined to say how many managers were "not going to receive their expected bonuses or how much Aramark would save by replacing the bonuses with one-time awards" (PHILLY.com, 2/4).
