The hyper-inflation in America's big four sports has created barriers of entry for even mid-size corporates. It takes an enormous cheque to buy sponsorship into the NFL or NBA and even then it is questionable whether it is money well spent. For a fraction of the cost, small to medium enterprises can buy A-grade packages in rugby that give them front row tickets and back stage access.
The experience is warmer and more rewarding and is becoming easier to sell.
What will help rugby enormously is the mass exposure which will come during this World Cup as NBC have bought broadcast rights. The feeling has always been that if Americans clap eyes on rugby, they will instantly fall in love.
The key to accelerating success on the field, says former coach Peter Thorburn, is to capture the athletes from a younger age and indoctrinate them in rugby so as they have an innate understanding by the time they are adults.
In the past, rugby has tried to convert failed American football stars and, while there is the odd success such as former captain Dan Lyle, it's a flawed pathway, says Thorburn, who was in charge of the Eagles at the last World Cup.
In 2007, the US rattled England, ran Samoa and Tonga close and for 60 minutes were competitive against South Africa - scoring the try of the tournament when Takudzwa Ngwenya skinned Bryan Habana on the outside after an astonishing break out from their own goal-line.
"We played pretty well," recalls Thorburn. "The big improvements we made were getting the players to see what was in front of them and react to that. When I first took over the team [18 months out from the World Cup], we would never have scored that try against South Africa. We took the ball almost on our line and, when I first arrived, it would have been kicked into touch. Instead, we ended up scoring at the other end.
"But the hardest part in building that style of game was that the players hadn't absorbed the same knowledge by watching and playing the game since they were young."
Russia faces a similar problem but it is one it is just as capable of solving.
Russia has climbed from 24th in the IRB rankings to 19th since the last World Cup. All over Russia, dedicated rugby stadiums are popping up and they have a voracious appetite for hosting events. They held the Junior World Trophy last year, the sister tournament to the Junior World Cup, and will host the Sevens World Cup in 2013.
When they played Georgia in the European Nations Cup - the Six Nations for Europe's second tier - more than 25 million watched on TV. The World Cup clash against the US in New Plymouth is expected to generate a bigger audience.
Russia is also close to achieving its long-held goal of having at least one club team gain entry to the Amlin Challenge Cup, Europe's shadow competition to the Heineken Cup.
It would be just reward for the Russians, who were smart enough to create a professional 12-team league in 2005. Smart because as soon as it was created, the Russians were able to lure players, coaches and administrators; money is no issue in that part of the world and all the global rugby intelligentsia needed was to know there was a vision and a genuine plan on how to fulfil it.
Former Kiwi and England international Henry Paul is Russia's assistant coach, while former Wales flanker and Sale coach Kingsley Jones is the national team's director. After this World Cup, more big name coaches will have Russia on their radar. They could earn more in one season there than they could coaching five years in the ITM Cup.
Qualification for this World Cup is merely the start of Russia's ascent. The vice-president of the national union, Howard Thomas (previously the CEO at Premier Rugby Limited, the central organisation that runs the professional game in England), said last year after Russia secured their World Cup place that a long term-plan was in place.
"Qualification for Rugby World Cup 2011 is significant for us. We have got a five-year detailed strategic plan and so far we are doing a good job of sticking to it," he said.
"It is challenging. We want to be a top 12 rugby nation by 2015 and we want to reach the quarter-final of Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan.
"If we succeeded in identifying talent very young, teams like Scotland and Italy could be looking over their shoulders in 10 years."
