The Dassler brothers: the sibling rivals behind Puma and Adidas -

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Origins of the feud -

Its remains one of the most famous family fallouts in recent history. But the consequences would establish two of the most celebrated global sports brands ever created. But what exactly led to this long-running and damaging conflict?

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Herzogenaurach -

In 1919, Adolf ('Adi') and Rudolph ('Rudi') Dassler founded the shoe manufacturing company Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik, or Geda for short, in Herzogenaurach, a town in Bavaria, Germany. By the mid-1920s, the business was being driven by Adi's vision of specialized sport designs.

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Josef Waitzer -

An early admirer of Geda shoes was the former Olympian and then coach of the German Olympic track-and-field team Josef Waitzer (pictured). The athlete became good friends with the Dassler brothers and served as the de facto consultant for the company.

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Success in difficult times -

Geda achieved greater success in the 1930s, despite the complex and volatile political climate sweeping across Germany at the time. In 1933, Rudi and Adi both joined the Nazi Party.

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Jesse Owens wins in Geda shoes -

Geda's accomplishments were consolidated at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, where the legendary African-American runner Jesse Owens wore Geda shoes as he won a gold medal.

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Second World War -

The outbreak of the Second World War saw a pause in Geda's operations. The workshop was converted into a munitions factory as Rudolf was drafted into the German Army.

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Closed for business -

Rudi survived the war and returned to Herzogenaurach, where operations resumed. But in 1948, after over 30 years of working together, the siblings abruptly closed the company and went their separate ways.

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A lifelong rift -

What happened next remains one of the most fascinating, controversial, and enduring rivalries in commercial manufacturing history, a sibling fallout that created two of the world's biggest sporting brands.

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Rumors of an affair -

What exactly started the split between the two brothers is a point of contention. One explanation points the finger at Rudi's alleged affair with Adi's wife, Käthe.

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Cramped style -

Matters were made worse when the brothers' respective wives were apparently forced to live in the same villa together.

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Sibling rivalry -

The relationship further soured after each accused the other of being the more enthusiastic Nazi. And Rudi's suspicion that his brother was behind his conscription into the army, which eventually led to him being captured and briefly interred by the Americans, generated more family strife.

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Rudolf Dassler (1898–1974) -

In late 1948, Rudolf Dassler established Puma. Initially named Ruda (short for Rudolf Dassler), Puma was headquartered in Herzogenaurach, on one side of the Aurach river.

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Adolf Dassler (1900–1978) -

In 1949, Adolf Dassler founded Adidas, likewise named for himself (Adi Dassler). Adi kept the original factory premises—located on the other side of the Aurach—and retained much of the old workforce.

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Puma scores -

In the immediate post-war years, Puma soccer boots were preferred by several members of the West German national team, including Herbert Burdenski (pictured), who scored the only goal in a match against Switzerland in Stuttgart on November 22, 1950—the first international match of the national team after the Second World War.

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Puma wins -

It was a pair of Puma running shoes that helped propel Josy Barthel of Luxembourg over the line to win the 1500 meters at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki.

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World-class Adidas -

In 1954, West Germany reached the final of the World Cup in Switzerland, defeating Hungary 3–2 to clinch their first World Cup title. The 1954 tournament was the first to be televised, affording Adidas, the boot brand of choice on that occasion, a marketing and publicity coup. But the Dassler in-fighting didn't stop there.

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Booted out! -

Each claimed credit for inventing the screw-in soccer boot studs that helped Germany's national team secure its World Cup final victory. Adi Dassler (pictured) insisted it was his creation. But according to Puma, Rudi presented his first prototypes at an exhibition in 1951.

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The shoe's on the other foot -

At the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, West German athlete Armin Hary won the 100 meter sprint final in Pumas. But look closely at the photograph: he's wearing Adidas. The crafty sprinter had laced up a pair of Puma's competitor's shoes for the medal ceremony, hoping to cash in on the rivalry between the two brands and win sponsorship from both. The Dassler brothers were enraged, with Adi banning the Olympic champion.

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Sports brand dominance -

Adidas and Puma rose to dominance throughout the 1960s and 1970s, attracting celebrated sport superstars, including boxing legends Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier (both pictured in Adidas).

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Pelé wears Puma -

Puma, meanwhile, secured several members of the Brazil national soccer team, including the legendary Pelé, the best player in the world.

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Adidas corporate image -

The Adidas trademark is recognized for its three stripes—three parallel lines that typically feature along the side of Adidas apparel. Its early design was the trefoil, the company's logo until 1997. It is now used on the Adidas Originals heritage line.

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Adidas logo -

The present logo was initially designed for the Equipment line, then adopted as the corporate emblem.

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Puma corporate image -

The image of a leaping puma has been associated with the Puma brand since 1948. The current design, with the big cat vaulting over the wordmark for the brand, was introduced in 1980. It's the image most people associate with Puma to this day.

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Adidas HQ -

The Adidas worldwide headquarters is located on the banks of the Aurach in Herzogenaurach. The river serves as the dividing line between the two companies.

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Puma HQ -

This is the Puma headquarter campus in Herzogenaurach. In business terms, Adidas is the larger company, employing 39,000 compared with Puma's 9,000.

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Puma sports stars -

Besides Pelé, famous soccer players who wore Puma include Diego Maradona, Lothar Matthäus, Thierry Henry, Didier Deschamps, George Best, Johan Cruyff, and Eusébio. On the track, Jamaican retired sprinter Usain Bolt, "the fastest man in the world," wore a pair of Pumas.

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Adidas sports stars -

Adidas, meanwhile, has provided footwear for the likes of Romanian gymnast and Olympic champion Nadia Comaneci, and booted numerous famous soccer players, among them Lionel Messi, David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane, and Mohamed Salah.

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Divided even in death -

Rudolf died in 1974, followed by Adolf in 1978. In keeping with their lifelong acrimony towards one another, the brothers were buried at opposite ends of Herzogenaurach's cemetery.

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A town divided -

Meanwhile, the enmity that has divided Herzogenaurach since 1948 remains to the point where rivalry among town folk determines what pubs they drink in and what stores they shop at.

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Peace One Day -

And rivalry on the pitch between the two biggest soccer clubs in Herzogenaurach, FC Herzogenaurach and ASV Herzogenaurach, is fierce. However, in 2009 a match between employees of Puma and Adidas billed as "Peace One Day" was the first event staged by the companies since their split over 70 years ago. Sport, it seems, is indeed a great leveler!

Sources: (The Guardian) (adidas Group) (PUMA CATch up)

See also: What are the origins of your favorite sport?

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