Made in France

This chapter considers a selection of the key touchstones for nostalgic reminiscence in French sport, including the Tour de France cycle race and Saint-Étienne football club, and analyses what these reveal in regards to public memories of, and hopes for, sport and society generally. In this analysis, the ‘legends’ and ‘epics’ of France’s sporting past are frequently set against a backdrop of a utopian era of industrial triumph and working-class solidarity, distinct from the globalized information age of today. Nostalgia for this era, and its associated champions, values and aesthetics are increasingly being mobilised to promote sporting events and sell sportswear today.