The Business of Rugby Union Rugby is rarely described in terms of feminine appeal and lack of violence, but these are aspects of the sport that most please ESPN’s Jeroen Oerlemans.
Head of channels for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at the US television broadcaster, Oerlemans signed the deal that gives ESPN the lion’s share of next season’s English Guinness Premiership rugby matches. “We are very excited about this property,” he says. “We think we can emulate one of the things we really enjoy in US College Game [American football] Day, which is a friendly, lively atmosphere, where we have our hosts and pundits outside the venue with a backdrop of many rival fans and spectators.
