Major League Bocce began for many of the same reasons anyone plays bocce ball: the founders were looking for a way to enjoy the social aspect of organized sports, but with less of an athletic component and preferably with a drink in hand. Since forging that modest alliance of close-knit friends in 2004, the company has reached for ever higher goals. Each season, they donate a portion of their registration fees to local charities, and the prize for each winning team is a donation to the charity of their choice. This has added up to more than $100,000 in donations throughout the company's 10-year existence. Like a house spider when your back is turned, the company is swiftly growing—8,000 players now participate not only in Washington D.C., but also Philadelphia, Houston, Austin, Cleveland, Richmond, Pittsburgh, Dallas, and Boston.