Exploring Sports History in Paris During a Summer Study Abroad Program with CEA CAPA
This photoset was created by Eli Mager, a Summer 2024 CEA CAPA Paris student and Marketing intern studying at Syracuse University.
As the Paris 2024 Olympics fast approach, Professor Yann Descamps took his sports history class on a walk around Paris to visit some important landmarks.
Yann sees the class as an opportunity to teach students about France’s relationship to sports and to allow them to experience the city for themselves. Many of the city’s famous landmarks are being repurposed for the Games, albeit with careful attention to their historical significance.
Yann takes students to the Place De Republique, where a stadium has been erected for the upcoming games.
Yann shares: “Visiting places like the Sorbonne and the Louvre allows us to see the lasting genealogy between the modern Olympics and Ancient Greek mythology, and to question sport as modern-day mythology.”
Students listen to Yann outside the NBA store.
Professor Yann imitates Jordan’s dunk in front of the NBA store.
Exhibitions on the walls next to City Hall highlight the impact the #metoo movement has had on the sporting world. We learned that greater sensitivity toward athletes and the importance of bodily autonomy is at the forefront of the sporting world’s collective consciousness.
Students visit an exhibit outside City Hall that highlights the impact of the #MeToo movement on the world of sport.
Visits to the Notre-Dame cathedral and the Champs-Élysées gave students in the class the opportunity to question gender representation in sports and to understand the relationship between military and sports throughout history.
Students outside Notre-Dame.
Students laugh and talk as they explore Paris.
At the end of the tour, we also checked out Yann’s favorite gelato shop!
Professor Yann bought the class gelato from his favorite spot in Paris, though, he failed to explain gelato's role in sports history.