Paris Sports And Recreation

There are really only two sports of any importance in France: football and cycling. The others are just pleasant diversions.

The French take le foot very seriously. Their national team, Les Bleus, emerged in the late 90s from a half-century of mediocrity to perform spectacularly in recent years. They captured the 1998 World Cup, schooling perennial favorite Brazil 3-0 in the newly built Stade de France, outside Paris. The victory ignited celebrations from the Champs-Élysées to the Pyrénées. In the 2000 European Championship, Les Bleus took the trophy in an upset against Italy, and in the 2001 Coupe des Confédérations, France completed the Triple Crown of football. The charismatic star of the team, Zinedine Zidane, has attained a hero status second only to de Gaulle. The son of an Algerian immigrant, “Zizou” has helped unite a country divided by tension over immigration. Sadly, France failed to make it past the qualifying round of the 2002 Cup Mondiale, finishing even behind Uruguay. So shocking was the failure that President Chirac issued a message of condolence. This left the French eagerly awaiting their team’s next shot at glory in the 2004 European Cup, but much to fans’ disappointment they fell to Greece in the quarterfinals. In 2006, the team came close to winning the World Cup, but the season ultimately distinguished itself to fans everywhere for Zidane’s excruciating headbutt to Italian player Marco Materazzi during their July 8th game. Zidane refused to apologize for his actions, citing a racist remark by Materazzi as his provocation. Despite the fiasco, he remains a French football hero. Most recently, the French had a disappointing showing at the 2008 European Cup, losing in the opening rounds of the tournament.

Cycling

Cycling is another national obsession with an equally ardent following. France annually hosts the only cycling event anyone can name: the grueling three-week, 3500km Tour de France, which celebrated its 100-year anniversary in 2003. Unfortunately, competitors from the host country have not fared well in the competition lately, as American Lance Armstrong has triumphed over the rest of the field to capture the last seven championships.

Other Activities

For those who prefer a bit less exertion, the game of pétanque, once dominated by old men, has been gaining popularity in younger age brackets. The basic premise of pétanque, also known as boules or bocce, is to throw a large metal ball as close as possible to a small metal ball. Old men playing pickup games of pétanque is a common sight in the parks around Paris.

Despite the objections of French traditionalists, sports from other continents are also gaining a foothold in France, particularly rugby, golf, basketball, and even the heresy that is American football.