The NCAA administers 88 championships in 22 sports for its member institutions in Divisions I, II and III -- and the vast majority of those events receive nowhere near the level of attention and recognition received by the men's and women's Division I basketball championships.

Yet universities, conferences and cities around the country still vie for the opportunity to host these lesser-publicized and lesser-attended championships.

"We do it primarily for the benefit of our student-athletes. We have a lot of successful teams, so we want to reward them for that success," said Jenny Claypool, director of championships at Stanford University, which has hosted many national championships over the years, particularly in water polo where the school has had much success.

Claypool said Stanford hosted 20 events, including conference championships and early rounds of NCAA championships, during the 2002-03 school year. The school is hosting the 2003 and 2004 men's water polo national championships, as well as the women's water polo national championships in 2004.

While Stanford may make "a little bit" of money hosting these events, Claypool said it's not nearly enough to be a motivating factor in hosting.

Water polo championships, she said, give Stanford a chance to show off its facilities, including a stadium pool. And while water polo may not be a popular sport in all parts of the country, it's big in California, she said.

Claypool noted that in 2001, there were 1,800 people in the stands for the men's water polo championship -- and that was during a rainstorm.

But championships may not always be that successful, Claypool admitted. Past tennis championships did not draw as many people as the school had hoped, and if Stanford isn't in the playing field, that could hurt as well.

"Clearly you want to host if your team is in it. It's much more fun. It's a lot easier for your

staff. Your fans are more willing to come," she said. But in water polo, for example, she said, "If we're not in it, we at least hope California is in it because then we get another local crowd."

Home hosting

Home-field advantage also was the prime motivator in Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania's hosting the Division II Field Hockey Championship in 2002, 2000, 1998, 1994-96 and previous years as well. While the Division II championship isn't at a predetermined site, Lock Haven still submits bids based on the strength of its program and often earns a home site. The team has participated in the event numerous times, most recently winning in 2000.

"It's a nice event for the kids to have on their campus," said Sharon Taylor, the school's director of athletics and former field hockey coach. "We do it primarily because our student-athletes would rather play at home than go on the road. We enjoy having that kind of competition here on campus for the athletes and also for the folks at the university, the students and the fans."

Taylor says there's "not a chance" her school will make any money from hosting the championship, but it's still a worthwhile event to bring to campus.

The benefits of hosting championships are a bit different for the Old Dominion Athletic Conference and the city of Salem, Virginia, which team up to host Division III football and men's basketball championships each year, as well as alternating years of the softball championships in Divisions II and III.

There are some economic paybacks to hosting such events, though conference and city officials say it's more about showing off their city and providing an exciting atmosphere for the student-athletes. The ODAC has only had a team in the Stagg Bowl, as the Division III Football Championship is known, once since it started co-hosting the championship in 1993, so the benefit of a home-field advantage for any one team does not usually come into play.

"We receive the exposure -- the television exposure on events that are televised, and the exposure to the out-of-town visitors that are coming to Salem for the first time," said Carey Harveycutter, director of civic facilities in Salem. "Maybe down the road if they've had a good experience, and hopefully they always do, they would think about maybe moving here, maybe having a small industry or business that would

come here or something like that."

Harveycutter said in a year when all three championships are held there, it can pump between $3 and $4 million into the local economy, though much of that will go to Roanoke, where athletes and fans often stay for the events.

But, he said, "It's advantageous to the whole Valley."

The Stagg Bowl, for example, can bring between 5,000 and 7,000 people to the game. It has sold out about four times since it came to Salem in 1993, officials said.

Brad Bankston, commissioner of the ODAC, noted that without the support of Salem, his conference would not likely be in the position to regularly host these events.

"We do it because we're fortunate enough to be able to. The city administration has been so supportive in basically rolling out the red carpet for the championships that there's little from our perspective that we have to contribute year in and year out besides working with the steering committee and the actual administration of the game," he said.

The ODAC and Salem have hosted about 30 NCAA championship events since 1993, Bankston said, and both the conference and the city plan to continue bidding.

"(Salem) provides a wonderful championship atmosphere for Division III athletes and that's why I'm involved with it, and frankly I think that's why the league continues to support it," Bankston said. "It's been fun."