Wikipedia

Dieux du Stade

For the German film released in French as Les Dieux du Stade, see Olympia (1938 film).

Dieux du Stade (transl. 'Gods of the Stadium', stylized as Dievx dv Stade) is a nude calendar produced by Stade Français, a French professional rugby union club based in Paris. Conceived by club president Max Guazzini as a marketing initiative to promote the club and shift the image of rugby, the calendar features nude and semi-nude photography of the club's members and other sportsmen, occasionally in a homoerotic context. The calendar was first published in 2001, and most recently in 2020. At its peak, Dieux du Stade sold approximately 180,000 copies annually, and by 2019 had sold approximately 1.6  million copies in total.

2001 edition cover, photographed by Kris Gautier and featuring Mike James

History

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Dieux du Stade was conceived by Max Guazzini, who served as president of Stade Français from 1992 to 2011. A former president of the NRJ Group, Dieux du Stade was one of several marketing initiatives by Guazzini aimed at promoting the club and changing the image of rugby as a sport; other tactics included introducing pink uniforms for Stade Français, and recruiting Madonna and Naomi Campbell to be official sponsors for the club.[1]

The first Dieux du Stade was released for the 2001 calendar year.[2] It features nude and semi-nude photographs of Stade Français' players, occasionally in homoerotic scenarios,[3] though later editions of the calendar expanded beyond Stade Français to feature male athletes from other clubs and sports.[4][5] The photographer for each edition of Dieux du Stade varies; individuals who have shot the calendar include Steven Klein, Peter Lindbergh, Tony Duran, and François Rousseau.[6][7] Photographs included in Dieux du Stade have also been published as coffee table books.[2]

Dieux du Stade expanded significantly in popularity in 2004 with the release of Dieux du Stade: Le making of du calendrier 2004, a DVD featuring documentary-style behind-the-scenes footage of that year's photoshoot; similar DVDs would be released for subsequent editions of the calendar.[3] At its peak Dieux du Stade sold approximately 180,000 copies per year,[1] and earned up to €2.3 million annually for Stade Français.[3] By 2019, an estimated 1.6 million copies of Dieux du Stade calendars had been sold.[3] A portion of the profits for some editions of the calendar were donated to charity, while Stade Français received approximately 50 percent of the calendar's sale price (€29 in 2019).[1] According to Guazzini, sales from Dieux du Stade "helped finance the club for many years".[1]

The calendar has occasionally attracted criticism and controversy. Racing 92 attempted to have photographs of player Henry Chavancy removed from the 2012 edition of the calendar days before it was slated to be released, calling it a "slight on Racing's image" and claiming that Chavancy had not sought permission to participate from club management; the calendar was ultimately published without redactions.[8][9] A frontal nude image of mixed martial arts fighter Sylvain Potard in the 2016 edition of the calendar received significant media attention in France due to the large size of Potard's genitals.[3][10]

By 2019, annual sales for Dieux du Stade had fallen to 50,000 copies, a trend Libération attributed to a general decline in the popularity of physical calendars amid increasing digitization.[1] Vanity Fair France speculated that the calendar's shift in the mid- to late 2010s towards glossy high fashion-styled photography also contributed to a decline in popularity, a trend the 2020 edition of the calendar attempted to reverse by incorporating a more naturalistic aesthetic.[3] The most recent edition of the calendar was released for the 2020 calendar year; the 2021 edition was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and no subsequent editions have been produced.[11]

List of editions

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Selected Dieux du Stade cover models. Top row: Mirco Bergamasco (2004), Sergio Parisse (2009 and 2016), Dimitri Szarzewski (2011). Bottom row: Scott LaValla (2013), Alexandre Flanquart (2014), Maxime Mermoz (2018)
Year Photographer Cover model Ref.
2001 Kris Gautier   Mike James [12]
2002   Thomas Lombard [13]
2003 Mathias Vriens   Ignacio Corleto [14]
2004 François Rousseau   Mirco Bergamasco [15]
2005 Carter Smith   Olivier Sarraméa [16]
2006 Fred Goudon   Juan Martín Hernández [17]
2007 Mariano Vivanco   Julien Arias [18]
2008 Steven Klein   Geoffroy Messina [19]
2009 Peter Lindbergh   Sergio Parisse [20]
2010 Tony Duran   James Haskell [21]
2011 François Rousseau   Dimitri Szarzewski [22]
2012   Sébastien Torresin [fr] [23]
2013   Scott LaValla [24]
2014 Fred Goudon   Alexandre Flanquart [25]
2015   Morgan Parra [26]
2016   Sergio Parisse [20]
2017 Errikos Andreou   Terry Bouhraoua [27]
2018   Maxime Mermoz [28]
2019 Ludovic Baron   Clément Daguin [fr] [29]
2020 Pierre-Ange Carlotti   Jules Plisson [30]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Ottavi, Marie (November 21, 2019). "Les Dieux du stade dans leur plus simple appareil". Libération (in French). Archived from the original on October 4, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "BOOKS: Gods of the Stadium". The Advocate. February 18, 2016. Archived from the original on February 19, 2016. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Krehl, Margaux (September 4, 2019). "Comment le calendrier des Dieux du Stade devient un objet branché". Vanity Fair France (in French). Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  4. ^ Smithfield, Jackie (5 October 2013). "Yohan Cabaye Stripping For Charity Calendar". The Mag. Archived from the original on 27 January 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  5. ^ Buzinski, Jim (October 21, 2013). "Dieux Du Stade 2014 calendar features rugby players and their friends". Outsports. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  6. ^ o, Joachim (January 7, 2011). "Adil Rami: Le Lillois se déshabille... Sera-t-il plus sexy que les rugbymen ?". Purepeople. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  7. ^ "Le nouveau calendrier des Dieux du Stade arrive le 16 septembre!". Marie Claire (in French). Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  8. ^ "Rugby ruck over nude calendar". The Connexion. February 17, 2017. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  9. ^ "Nude calendar irks Racing boss". News24. September 26, 2011. Archived from the original on February 15, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  10. ^ Cécilia, Cherrier (September 24, 2015). "L'étonnante anatomie du Haut-Saônois Sylvain Potard affole les fans des Dieux du Stade". L'Est Républicain (in French). Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  11. ^ "Max Guazzini: "On doit rouvrir les stades aux spectateurs"". Rugby Magazine (in French) (23). March 24, 2021. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  12. ^ Loupien, Serge (May 3, 2003). "Mike James, la nostalgie de l'avant". Libération (in French). Archived from the original on September 30, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  13. ^ "Splash of Galliano". Sun Sentinel. November 29, 2001. Archived from the original on January 28, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  14. ^ "Les dieux sexy du stade". La Dépêche (in French). October 11, 2002. Archived from the original on January 28, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  15. ^ Lee, Daniel. "Very Rugged Ruggers". Out (July 2005): 24.
  16. ^ "Calendrier DIEVX DV STADE 2005". Stade.fr (in French). Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  17. ^ "Calendrier DIEVX DV STADE 2006". Stade.fr (in French). Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  18. ^ "CALENDRIER DIEVX DV STADE 2007". Stade.fr (in French). Archived from the original on October 11, 2007.
  19. ^ "DIEVX DV STADIUM CALENDAR 2008". Stade.fr. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  20. ^ a b "Sergio Parisse, en une des Dieux du stade en 2009 et 2016". Purepeople (in French). Archived from the original on January 28, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  21. ^ Zeigler, Cyd (August 25, 2009). "Dieux du Stade coverboy James Haskell". Outsports. Archived from the original on January 28, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  22. ^ "Dimitri Szarzewski pour le calendrier des Dieux du stade 2010, photographié par François Rousseau". Purepeople (in French). Archived from the original on January 28, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  23. ^ "Sébastien Torresin parmi les " Dieux du Stade "". Sud Ouest (in French). September 19, 2011. Archived from the original on January 28, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  24. ^ "Scott Lavalla pose dans l'édition 2013 des Dieux du stade". Purepeople (in French). Archived from the original on January 28, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  25. ^ "Dieux du stade 2014: Un retour aux sources tout en muscles et sensualité". Purepeople (in French). October 2, 2013. Archived from the original on January 28, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  26. ^ "Sports stars strip off for calendar". The Connexion. November 30, 2016. Archived from the original on January 28, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  27. ^ "Photos – Découvrez les Dieux du Stade version Dieux de l'Olympe". France Bleu (in French). September 15, 2016. Archived from the original on January 28, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  28. ^ Stroude, Will (October 2, 2017). "Male sports stars strip naked for Dieux du Stade 2018 calendar". Attitude. Archived from the original on January 28, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  29. ^ Thomas, Camille (April 10, 2018). "Les Dieux du stade 2019 : les premières photos officielles nous en mettent encore plein la vue !". Closer. Archived from the original on January 28, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  30. ^ Couturié, Martin (September 4, 2019). "Jules Plisson fait la couverture du calendrier des Dieux du Stade 2020". Le Figaro (in French). Archived from the original on January 28, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
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