ABSTRACT
Prior to the gradual inclusion of women in sport and the acceptance of mixed sports, both to any significant degree phenomena of the twentieth century, sport was widely viewed as a male activity, with the role of inculcating and underlining masculine values, serving as an affirmation of masculinity, and reinforcing the segregation of the sexes to the advantage of man. This essay assesses to what extent the traditionally held view of sport as the domain of the male prevailed in France before the Third Republic and explains how the link between games and masculinity was displayed and conveyed.
