The Making of Les Bleus

The Making of Les Bleus traces the Fifth Republic’s quest to create elite athletes, a compelling tale that serves as a prism through which to investigate the larger history of France, the evolution of society, the impacts of the media revolution, and the government’s mission of public health. It provides perspective on how France coped with and adapted to the post-1945 world and underscores just how much things have changed--yet still remained the same.

Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff is a historian in the Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, where she works on the history of U.S.-European relations and contributes to the office’s digital and oral history initiatives. She serves as an affiliated scholar of the Center for the Study of Sport and Leisure in Society (CSSLS) at George Mason University and is a member of the North American Society for Sports History and the Overseas Press Club of America. Dr. Krasnoff’s expertise includes history of youth, the media, sports medicine, history of the body, and sports diplomacy, and she has authored articles, book chapters, and given talks on these topics.