Good or bad, the name West Shore Home might not have rolled off so many tongues in Nittany Lion Nation as it did this past week or so.

That’s because the Pennsylvania-based home remodeling company signed a landmark naming-rights partnership for Penn State’s Beaver Stadium valued at $50 million over 15 years.

That’s right, the Nittany Lions’ den will be known as West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium, starting with the 2025 college football season.

Many Penn State fans took to social media to share their displeasure of the board of trustee’s decision. While Penn State Athletic Director Pat Kraft called the deal “transformational,” not everyone agreed as trustees who voted against the proposal were former Penn State football players Brandon Short, Matt McGloin, and Jay Paterno. Fellow board member, and former Penn State football letterman, Carl Nassib voted in favor of the proposal.

The stadium renovations, which could certainly be considered “transformational,” carry a hefty price tag.

West Shore Home’s $50 million commitment is the second-largest private donation in Penn State history, behind Terry Pegula’s $102 million gift for the campus ice arena and varsity hockey programs. Kraft called that West Shore’s financial commitment raised the Beaver Stadium fundraising total to nearly $131 million.

That’s $131 million of $700 million needed. That’s a lot of kitchen renovations.

Look, we might not like it, but stadiums and arenas have been sponsorship targets for years. Even minor leagues like the NBA G-League – whose full name is the NBA Gatorade League – have been embracing sponsors for years and raking in the cash.

Can anyone name a professional sports arena that isn’t named after a phone, bank, or retailer?

Sports broadcasts have been using sponsors as well for their pre- and post-game shows as well as halftime. The seasons of Major and minor league teams alike are sponsored at times. Over the year, the Canadian Football League has had sponsors for their East and West divisions. It’s the way of the sports world.

Here in Mifflin County, venerable Mitchell Field will be replaced by a Husky Multi-Sports Facilities Project with the main stadium, called Kish Bank Field at Donald M. Chapman III Stadium as well as the secondary stadium, to be known as Marcal Paper Field.

The field house at the main stadium will be called Geisinger Field House, while the secondary facility will be Fleet Reps Field House.

Even the new scoreboard features the logo of the Lake Dealerships.

There’s no question that the business community has supported important projects like this and many others in the Juniata Valley. They deserve to be recognized for their philanthropy.

The Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) agreements have changed the face of college athletics forever. It also makes it more expensive – and nearly impossible – for athletic departments to fund everything internally.

Players not only want to be paid, but they want state-of-the-art facilities and amenities. If Penn State doesn’t offer them, there are plenty of other Big Ten rivals who would. It’s the new way of life for fans who want the Nittany Lions to compete on the national stage. Being in the championship equation is expensive on many fronts.

It’s a tough pill for some to swallow, especially those who are steadfast that the only name the field should bear is that of legendary coach Joe Paterno.

But for more than a decade, some Penn State fans and alumni have asked the university to honor Paterno, the head football coach for 46 years, by naming the Beaver Stadium field for him and his family.

Despite the Paterno family’s generosity to the university over the years, that didn’t happen. It’s hard to imagine that the naming-rights deal won’t strain that relationship.

Those trustees who spoke in favor of Paterno Field at Beaver Stadium said that alumni and fans should have a voice in the process.

Some trustees said that Penn State could have raised more money than the $50 million gift by naming the field for Paterno. Penn State’s deal with West Shore Home averages $3.3 million per year. By comparison, according to Sports Business Journal, the University of Washington averages $4.1 million per year for Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium, and Georgia Tech averages $2.75 million annually for Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field.

Ohio State’s two-year deal for with Safelite AutoGlass for field naming rights was worth $2.5 million annually, according to Penn State.

Trustees did call Paterno’s widow, Sue, before announcing their decision and she was underwhelmed when she was told of a planned recreation of her husband’s office as a monument of sorts in the Penn State All-Sports Museum.

She’s not wrong. It’s just that money talks, and its voice was a little bit louder.