📍 Columbus, Ohio
🏀 Home of Ohio State Buckeyes basketball
Around the turn of the century, the city of Columbus was experiencing a burgeoning sports scene. The basketball teams at The Ohio State University were having postseason success and had recently opened the on-campus Jerome Schottenstein Center, while the arrival of the NHL’s Blue Jackets prompted the construction of a new arena downtown. Initially, these two multi-purpose venues were at odds with one another; today, they work in tandem to bring marquee sporting events and performing artists to Ohio’s capital city.
The home of Ohio State’s basketball and hockey teams, Value City Arena at the Schottenstein Center was built in 1998, two years before Nationwide Arena was completed, and replaced the aging St. John Arena as the stomping grounds of the Buckeyes. The facility is named for a retail mogul and university benefactor, Jerome Schottenstein, and holds 18,800 fans for men’s and women’s basketball games, making it the largest building in the Big Ten in terms of capacity. The seating bowl itself is set a bit back from the court in order to accommodate a hockey rink, resulting in the venue lacking some of the intimacy that has become somewhat of a hallmark amongst OSU’s Power 5 peers. Fan engagement and the energy that loyal Buckeye fans can bring to any given game, however, more than makes up for this unconventional design.
Along the baselines, directly behind the team benches, is the raucous student section known as the “Buckeye Nuthouse.” Leading the arena in both intensity and noise level, students are known to start chants, get crazy and ultimately end up standing throughout the duration of the game. As a result, the team actually tarped off a few rows behind the Nuthouse in order to maintain clear sightlines for those seated behind this boisterous section.
Buckeye fans have plenty to cheer about – the men’s team has appeared in a couple dozen NCAA Tournaments, including a slew in recent years, and finishes in the top half of the Big Ten more often than not. Although their last – and only – championship came way back in 1960, Ohio State is certainly positioned to make a deep run in the tournament sometime soon.
Buckeye success is evident everywhere you look at the Schott. Trophies from several Ohio State athletic teams are mounted on the walls of the main lobby; ringing the upper level concourse, a timeline that includes all of the university’s sports programs is on display. Also on the Terrace Level, there’s a scale-model look at some of the arena’s basketball courts that have been installed over the years, as well as the current floor design.
Although the seating bowl of the facility is intended to bear the name of Jerome Schottenstein’s furniture store chain, Value City Arena also offers Ohio State fans a tremendous value of its own. High-level college hoops in such a fantastic setting isn’t as common these days as you’d think, but the dedication and excitement of Buckeye diehards will tell you everything you need to know…
…just listen for the crowd answering the prompt “O-H” with “I-O!“
Info Invasion
Must Eat: Ooey Gooey grilled cheese + tomato soup, a killer combo
Parking: Lot at the Agricultural Center, $15
Nearby Venue(s): Ohio Stadium, Nationwide Arena, Lower.com Field
In the Area: Ohio History Center
Stadium51 