L'Équipe

Last updated

L'Équipe
L'Equipe wordmark.svg
L'equipe.jpg
The front page of L'Équipe on 4 July 2011
TypeDaily newspaper
Format Tabloid
Owner(s)Éditions Philippe Amaury
Editor-in-chiefFabrice Jouhaud
EditorFrançois Morinière
Founded1946
LanguageFrench
Headquarters Boulogne-Billancourt
ISSN 0153-1069
Website www.lequipe.fr

L'Équipe (pronounced [lekip] , French for "the team") is a French nationwide daily newspaper devoted to sport, owned by Éditions Philippe Amaury. The paper is noted for coverage of association football, rugby, motorsport, and cycling. Its predecessor, L'Auto, was a general sports paper that also covered auto racing which was gaining popularity at the turn of the twentieth century.

Contents

L'Auto originated the Tour de France road cycling stage race in 1903 as a circulation booster. The race leader's yellow jersey (French: maillot jaune) was instituted in 1919, reflecting the distinctive yellow newsprint on which L'Auto was published. The European Champion Clubs' Cup, the competition that would later be rebranded as the UEFA Champions League, was also the brainchild of a L'Équipe journalist, Gabriel Hanot.

History

L'Auto-Vélo

De Dion on one of his company's early products. De Dion stoomdriewieler.GIF
De Dion on one of his company's early products.

L'Auto traces its origins to Le Vélo, a sports newspaper which began publishing in 1892. In addition to covering cycling, the paper also organized cycling races. Le Vélo took advantage of the Dreyfus affair which boosted the paper's sales. [1]

As the scandal evolved, French society and media became increasingly polarized. Divisions within Le Vélo on whether Dreyfus was guilty lead to its dissolution. Le Vélo began to adopt a pro-Dreyfus stance and allied with Dreyfusards. [2] Its editor, Pierre Giffard, believed Dreyfus innocent and said so, leading to acrid disagreement with his main advertisers. Among them were the automobile-maker the Comte de Dion and the industrialists Adolphe Clément and Édouard Michelin.

Frustrated at Giffard's politics, they planned a rival paper, L'Auto-Vélo which began publishing in 1900. The editor was a prominent racing cyclist, Henri Desgrange, who had published a book of cycling tactics and training and was working as a publicity writer for Clément. Desgrange was a strong character but lacked confidence, so much doubting the Tour de France founded in his name that he stayed away from the pioneering race in 1903 until it looked like being a success.

L'Auto


Three years after the foundation of L'Auto-Vélo in 1900, a court in Paris decided that the title was too close to its main competitor, Giffard's Le Vélo. Thus reference to 'Vélo' was dropped and the new paper became simply L'Auto. It was printed on yellow paper because Giffard used green.

Circulation was sluggish, however, and only a crisis meeting called "to nail Giffard's beak shut", as Desgrange phrased it, came to its rescue. Then, on the first floor of the paper's offices in the rue du Faubourg-Montmartre in Paris, a 26-year-old cycling and rugby writer called Géo Lefèvre suggested a race round France, bigger than any other paper could rival and akin to six-day races on the track.

The Tour de France proved a success for the newspaper; circulation leapt from 25,000 before the 1903 Tour to 65,000 after it; in 1908 the race boosted circulation past a quarter of a million, and during the 1923 Tour it was selling 500,000 copies a day. The record circulation claimed by Desgrange was 854,000, achieved during the 1933 Tour.

Desgrange died in 1940 and ownership passed to a consortium of Germans. [3] The paper began printing comments favourable to the occupying Nazis. When the Germans were finally defeated in 1945, the provisional French government forcibly dissolved the paper alongside other publications that printed pro-Nazi propaganda during the occupation. [4]

L'Équipe

Maurice Garin (1871-1957), winner of the first Tour de France 1897garin.jpg
Maurice Garin (1871–1957), winner of the first Tour de France

In 1940 Jacques Goddet (1905–2000) succeeded Desgrange as editor and nominal organiser of the Tour de France (although he refused German requests to run it during the war, see Tour de France during the Second World War). Jacques Goddet was the son of L'Auto's first financial director, Victor Goddet. Goddet defended his paper's role in a court case brought by the French government but was never wholly cleared in the public mind of being close to the Germans or to the Head of the French State, Philippe Pétain (1856–1951). [4]

Goddet could point, however, to clandestine printing of Resistance newspapers and pamphlets in the L'Auto print room [3] and so was allowed to publish a successor paper called L'Équipe. It occupied premises across the road from where L'Auto had been, in a building that had actually been owned by L'Auto, although the original paper's assets had been sequestrated by the state. One condition of publication imposed by the state was that L'Équipe was to use white paper rather than yellow, which was too closely attached to L'Auto. [3]

The new paper published three times a week from 28 February 1946. [5] Since 1948 it has been published daily. The paper benefited from the demise of its competitors, L'Élan, and Le Sport. Its coverage of car racing hints at the paper's ancestry by printing the words L'Auto at the head of the page in the gothic print used in the main title of the prewar paper.

L'Équipe is published in tabloid format. [6]

Émilien Amaury

In 1968 L'Équipe was bought by Émilien Amaury (1909–1977), founder of the Amaury publishing empire. Among L'Équipe's most respected writers have been Pierre Chany (1922–1996), Antoine Blondin (1922–1991) and Gabriel Hanot (1899–1968).

Philippe Amaury – Éditions Philippe Amaury

The death of Émilien Amaury in 1977 led to a six-year legal battle over inheritance between his son and daughter. This was eventually settled amicably with Philippe Amaury owning the dailies while his sister owned magazines such as Marie-France and Point de Vue. Philippe then founded Éditions Philippe Amaury (EPA), which included L'Équipe, Le Parisien and Aujourd'hui . At Philippe's death in 2006, the group passed to his widow, Marie-Odile, and their children.

Evolutionary milestones

Circulation in France

Year199920002001200220032004200520062007200820162017201820192020
Circulation386,189386,601455,598321,153339,627369,428365,654365,411327,168298,949237,790239,482253,791237,240219,032

The newspaper's biggest-selling issue is that of 13 July 1998, the day after the France national football team won the World Cup for the first time after beating Brazil 3–0 at the Stade de France. Containing the banner headline Pour L'Éternité (For Eternity), [7] it sold 1,645,907 copies. The second best was published on 3 July 2000 after France won UEFA Euro 2000, when the paper sold 1,255,633 copies.

In 2020, the circulation of L'Equipe was 219,032 copies. [8]

Directors

Editors

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tour de France</span> Multi-stage cycling race

The Tour de France is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest of the three Grand Tours and is generally considered the most prestigious.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2001 Tour de France</span> Cycling race

The 2001 Tour de France was a multiple-stage bicycle race held from 7 to 29 July, and the 88th edition of the Tour de France. It has no overall winner—although American cyclist Lance Armstrong originally won the event, the United States Anti-Doping Agency announced in August 2012 that they had disqualified Armstrong from all his results since 1998, including his seven Tour de France wins from 1999 to 2005. The verdict was subsequently confirmed by the Union Cycliste Internationale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General classification in the Tour de France</span> Classification that determines the winner of the Tour de France

The general classification of the Tour de France is the most important classification of the race and determines the winner of the race. Since 1919, the leader of the general classification wears the yellow jersey.

Éditions Philippe Amaury (EPA), also known as Groupe EPA or the Groupe Amaury, is a French private media group founded by Philippe Amaury (1940–2006) whose widow, Marie-Odile Amaury, owns a majority of the company. The CEO of the company is Aurore Amaury, daughter of Philippe and Marie-Odile Amaury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1903 Tour de France</span> Cycling race

The 1903 Tour de France was the first cycling race set up and sponsored by the newspaper L'Auto, ancestor of the current daily, L'Équipe. It ran from 1 to 19 July in six stages over 2,428 km (1,509 mi), and was won by Maurice Garin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jules-Albert de Dion</span> French automotive pioneer (1856–1946)

Marquis Jules Félix Philippe Albert de Dion de Wandonne was a French pioneer of the automobile industry. He invented a steam-powered car and used it to win the world's first auto race, but his vehicle was adjudged to be against the rules. He was a co-founder of De Dion-Bouton, the world's largest automobile manufacturer for a time, as well as the French sports newspaper L'Équipe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henri Desgrange</span> French cyclist and journalist

Henri Desgrange was a French bicycle racer and sports journalist. He set twelve world track cycling records, including the hour record of 35.325 kilometres (21.950 mi) on 11 May 1893. He was the first organiser of the Tour de France.

The Amaury Sport Organisation is a private company, founded in 1992, that is part of the privately-owned French media group Éditions Philippe Amaury (EPA). ASO organises the Tour de France and other cycling races, as well as golf, running, sailing and off-road motorsport events over 250 days of competition per year, with 90 events in 30 countries. The president of ASO is Jean-Etienne Amaury, the son of Philippe Amaury and Marie-Odile Amaury, and grandson of EPA founder, Émilien Amaury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1905 Tour de France</span> Cycling race

The 1905 Tour de France was the third edition of the Tour de France, held from 9 to 30 July, organised by the newspaper L'Auto. Following the disqualifications after the 1904 Tour de France, there were changes in the rules, the most important one being the general classification not made by time but by points. The race saw the introduction of mountains in the Tour de France, and René Pottier excelled in the first mountain, although he could not finish the race. Due in part to some of the rule changes, the 1905 Tour de France had less cheating and sabotage than in previous years, though they were not completely eliminated. It was won by Louis Trousselier, who also won four of the eleven stages.

<i>Le Parisien</i> French daily newspaper

Le Parisien is a French daily newspaper covering both international and national news, and local news of Paris and its suburbs. Since 2015, Le Parisien has been owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, better known as LVMH, belonging to French billionaire Bernard Arnault.

Philippe Amaury was a French media tycoon, and the son of publisher Émilien Amaury.

Géo Lefèvre (1877–1961) was a French sports journalist and the originator of the idea for the Tour de France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacques Goddet</span> French sports journalist

Jacques Goddet was a French sports journalist and director of the Tour de France road cycling race from 1936 to 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Félix Lévitan</span> French sports journalist

Félix Lévitan, was a sports journalist and the third organiser of the Tour de France a role he shared for much of the time with Jacques Goddet. Lévitan is credited with looking after the financial side of the Tour while Goddet concentrated on the sporting aspect, but in the end Lévitan was fired while Goddet simply retired.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pierre Giffard</span>

Pierre Giffard was a French journalist, a pioneer of modern political reporting, a newspaper publisher and a prolific sports organiser. In 1892, he was appointed Chevalier (Knight) of the Légion d'Honneur and in 1900 he was appointed an Officier (Officer) of the Légion d'Honneur.

The Tour de France was not held during World War II because the organisers refused German requests. Although a 1940 Tour de France had been announced earlier, the outbreak of the war made it impossible for it to be held. After that, some attempts were made by the Germans during the war to have a Tour de France to maintain the sense of normality, but l'Auto, the organising newspaper, refused. Some other races were run as a replacement.

Albert Baker d'Isy was a French cycling journalist and author and the founder of the Grand Prix des Nations international time-trial. He is considered, in the French expression, "one of the most beautiful pens" of sports writing. Pierre Chany a contemporary, called him "The best sporting journalist of his generation."

Le Dauphiné libéré is a provincial daily French newspaper known for its emphasis on local news and events. The paper is published in Grenoble, France.

<i>Le Vélo</i>

Le Vélo was the leading French sports newspaper from its inception on 1 December 1892 until it ceased publication in 1904. Mixing sports reporting with news and political comment, it achieved a circulation of 80,000 copies a day. Its use of sporting events as promotional tools led to the creation of the Paris–Roubaix cycle race in 1896, and the popularisation of the Bordeaux–Paris cycle race during the 1890s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Émilien Amaury</span> French publishing magnate

Émilien Amaury was a French publishing magnate whose company now organises the Tour de France. He worked with Philippe Pétain, head of the French government in Vichy France during the Second World War, but used his position to find paper and other materials for the French Resistance. His links with Jacques Goddet, the organiser of the Tour de France, led to a publishing empire that included the daily sports paper, L'Équipe. Amaury died after falling from his horse; his will led to six years of legal debate.

References

  1. ↑ Weekly, Cycling; published, Jack Elton-Walters (15 July 2016). "Icons of cycling: L'Auto, the newspaper that launched the Tour de France". cyclingweekly.com. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  2. ↑ "Reading L'Equipe". inrng.com. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 Goddet, Jacques(1991), L'Équipée Belle, Laffont, Paris
  4. 1 2 Boeuf, Jean-Luc and Léonard, Yves (2003), La République du Tour de France, Seuil, France
  5. ↑ Tebbel, John (2003). "Print Media. France". Encyclopedia Americana. Archived from the original on 9 May 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  6. ↑ Smith, Adam (15 November 2002). "Europe's Top Papers". campaign. Archived from the original on 13 March 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  7. ↑ Gillet, Émile (27 June 2018). "Top 10 des meilleures ventes du journal L'Équipe : un seul intrus au milieu de l'Équipe de France" [Top 10 best-sellers of the newspaper L’Équipe: Only one interloper in the middle of the France national football team] (in French). SportBuzzBusiness.fr. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  8. ↑ "L'Equipe – ACPM". www.acpm.fr. Archived from the original on 31 October 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.