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With the men's and women's College World Series in heavy rotation on ESPN this month, analysis of the keys to that success often lands on their longstanding permanent homes in Omaha, Nebraska and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Although not popular tourist destinations, the two Midwest cities have drawn substantial crowds for the baseball and softball NCAA Division I championships, prompting many in collegiate tennis to contemplate a similar model for its May championships.

The Crowd in Georgia for the 2012 NCAA Championships
© Zoo Tennis

There is no urgency surrounding that decision right now, as the current cycle of host bids extends through 2026 and requests for bids beyond that date won't go out until late next year, but the current rotating campus model could be in jeopardy.

That model is itself a relatively new phenomenon, especially for the men, who played their team and individual championships in Athens, Georgia for 23 of the 27 years between 1977 and 2003. But when the tournament became a joint men's and women's event in 2006, Athens ceased being the default location, with Stanford, Tulsa, Texas A&M, Illinois, Baylor and Wake Forest alternating with Georgia as campus hosts in the past 16 years.