Ground RulesHow to sponsor a company sports team without losing your jersey.

There's your company name, emblazoned on the back of thebowling shirts your employees proudly wear in their league.You're convinced that sponsoring the team not only gets yourname out in the community, but also increases camaraderie andbuilds company spirit in ways that carry over to the workday. Whathappens, though, if your office manager drops a bowling ball on herfoot? Is she eligible for workers' compensation? What if afight erupts at a bowling tournament and a spectator gets hurt? Orwhat if alcohol flows at the after-game party and a drunkenemployee hits a pedestrian on the way home? Courts deal with thesequestions more often than you'd expect.

Whether the question concerns workers' comp for employeesinjured in a company-sponsored game or liability for the injuriesof a third party, the basic question is the same: How closely isthe company tied to the team or the sporting event? To determinethat, the court often asks these questions: Are the games on theemployer's premises? Are employees expected to play or asked tobuild relationships with customers on the playing field? In effect,is playing on the team part of the employees' jobs?