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Dieux du Stade was conceived by [[Max Guazzini]], who served as president of Stade Français from 1992 to 2011. A former president of the [[NRJ Group]], Dieux du Stade was one of a number of marketing initiatives by Guazzini aimed at both promoting the club and changing the image of rugby as a sport; other tactics included introducing pink [[Rugby union equipment|uniforms]] for Stade Français, and hiring [[Madonna]] and [[Naomi Campbell]] to be official sponsors for the club <ref name="liberation"/>
The first Dieux du Stade calendar was released in 2001.<ref name="Advocate"/> It features nude and semi-nude photographs of Stade Français' players, occasionally in [[homoerotic]] scenarios,<ref name="VanityFair"/> though later editions of the calendar expanded beyond Stade Français to feature male athletes from other clubs and sports.<ref name="TheMag"/><ref name="Outsports"/> The photographer for each edition of Dieux du Stade varies; individuals who have shot the calendar include [[Steven Klein (artist)|Steven Klein]], [[Peter Lindbergh]], [[Tony Duran (photographer)|Tony Duran]], and [[François Rousseau]].<ref name="Purepeople"/><ref name="MC"/> Photographs included in Dieux du Stade have also been published as [[coffee table book]]s.<ref name="Advocate"/>
Dieux du Stade expanded significantly in popularity in 2004, following the release of [[behind-the-scenes]] footage on DVD that accompanied editions of the calendar.<ref name="VanityFair"/> At its peak Dieux du Stade sold approximately 180,000 copies per year,<ref name="liberation"/> and earned up to €2.3 million annually for Stade Français.<ref name="VanityFair"/> By 2019, an estimated 1.6 million copies of Dieux du Stade calendars had been sold.<ref name="VanityFair"/> A portion of the profits for some editions of the calendar were donated to charity, while Stade Français received approximately 50 percent of the calendar's sale price (€29 in 2019).<ref name="liberation"/> According to Guazzini, sales from Dieux du Stade "helped finance the club for many years".<ref name="liberation"/>
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