After a trip to Columbus' Value City Arena, women's hoops reporter Ethan Conley hopes Breslin Center never changes its name.

Ohio State's Value City Arena is like every other brand spanking new sports venue in the world. Great seats, great sound, well lit, a plethora of luxury suites… and no atmosphere whatsoever.

There's nothing to distinguish it from any other run-of-the-mill complex, other than its name.

I've long accepted the sad fact that pro sports arenas are going to sell naming rights to the highest bidder (that's how "Candlestick Park" becomes "3Com Park"). But does it have to extend to the college ranks as well?

Does a stadium named after a chain of department stores really strike fear in the heart of the opposition?

Maybe it's just an Ohio State thing, because I doubt Indiana is ever going to rename Assembly Hall, and the same goes for Cameron Indoor Stadium or Breslin Center. Those stadiums are synonymous with their respective institutions.

There's a certain aura of mystique that attaches to a stadium with a cool name. It gives you the feeling that when you walk in, you're stepping into a place where legends made their names. Value City Arena doesn't come close to offering that, and I doubt it ever will.

I guess there is an upside to all of this. Eventually, some college is going to sell off its naming rights to an absurd company, and we'll end up with something like "The Viagra Center."

That'd be funny enough on its own, but can you imagine Jim Nantz calling a big-time, nationally-televised college hoops game at a stadium with such a name?

(Random player knocks down a go-ahead 3-pointer in a close game, and the home crowd erupts.)

Nantz: "They're standing at attention here at the Viagra Center! It's one shining moment!"

Ethan Conley can be reached at conleyet@msu.edu.