Dieux du Stade
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Dieux du Stade (English: Gods of the Stadium) is the title of several highly popular calendars published in the 2000s, featuring nude and semi-nude photographs of members of the Stade Français, a domestic French rugby team. In more recent years, players from other rugby union clubs and athletes from other sports have also been included.
The calendars have black-and-white nude, erotic and sometimes homoerotic photographs of the players. Partial profits go to charities. Starting with the 2004 edition, a DVD covering the making of the calendar has also been released every year. The calendars and DVDs are extremely successful, both with women and in the gay community.
The popularity of the calendars has been credited for the increased fame of the Stade Français team, as well as rugby in general, in France. The calendars are part of a marketing strategy crafted by Max Guazzini, President of the rugby club. A savvy marketer who built the number 2 French radio group, he has successfully used the calendars to attract a new audience to rugby matches (live and on TV), such as women.
The photographers have been Kris Gautier (for the 2001 and 2002 calendars), Mathias Vriens (2003), François Rousseau (2004), Carter Smith (2005), Fred Goudon (2006), Mariano Vivanco (2007), and Steven Klein (2008). A new photographer will shoot the 2009 edition.
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[edit] International Calendar Sales
- 2001- 15,000 copies
- 2002- 20,000 copies
- 2003- 50,000 copies
- 2004- 80,000 copies
- 2005- 100,000 copies
- 2006- 150,000 copies
- 2007- 200,000 copies
[edit] Licensed Products
In 2006, a cosmetics company bought a license from the club to launch a line of skin care products for men. These "Dieux du Stade" products can be found in France only, and were launched in 2007. They carry names linked to rugby, such as the shower gel "Retour au vestiaire" (translation: "Back to the locker-room").
[edit] See also
- Stade de France, the French national stadium
[edit] External links
- Official store:
- Dieux du stade: Le making of du calendrier 2004 at the Internet Movie Database
- Dieux du stade: Le making of du calendrier 2005 at the Internet Movie Database
- Dieux du stade: Le making of du calendrier 2006 at the Internet Movie Database
- Mariano Vivanco: 2007 Dieux Du Stade Photographer
