*In 1924, two brothers built a shoe empire together.*
By 1948, they were bitter enemies—so bitter they split the company in half.
*One became Adidas. The other Puma.*
Their feud divided a town, shaped sports history, and created two global giants.
Here’s the full story:
In 1924, Adi Dassler and his older brother Rudolf Dassler founded the Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory.
Adi’s technical skills and Rudolf’s salesmanship made the company a huge success.
By the 1930s, their shoes were used by top athletes across Germany.
Their biggest break came at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin when Jesse Owens wore Dassler shoes and won 4 gold medals.
Owens’ victory put the Dassler brand on the map, and demand for their shoes skyrocketed.
During World War II, tensions between the brothers grew.
Adi focused on keeping the factory running despite the war.
Rudolf, who was drafted into the German army, believed Adi had deliberately withheld information that led to his conscription.
In 1943, as the Allies bombed Germany, the Dassler family took shelter together.
According to legend, Adi muttered, “The dirty bastards are back again,” referring to the bombers.
Rudolf thought the comment was directed at him and his family.
After the war ended, the brothers’ relationship completely broke down.
In 1948, they officially dissolved their company and split everything in half:
Adi Dassler started his own company, naming it Adidas (a combination of his first and last name: “Adi Dassler”).
Rudolf Dassler started a rival company across the river, originally naming it Ruda (from “Rudolf Dassler”), which was later rebranded as Puma.
The two brothers became bitter rivals, and so did their companies.
The feud split the town of Herzogenaurach in two.
Adidas employees and supporters lived on one side.
Puma loyalists lived on the other.
Even marriages between Adidas and Puma employees were considered taboo.
Local businesses would even check your shoes before serving you.
Once the companies were established, the rivalry escalated into an all-out war for the sports world.
In the 1954 FIFA World Cup, the German national team wore Adidas boots and won the championship in an upset victory, making the "three stripes" world-famous.
In response, Puma aggressively pursued athletes and signed stars like Pelé—the most famous soccer player in the world.
One famous incident from the 1970 World Cup is known as the “Pelé Pact.”
Adidas and Puma had agreed not to bid for Pelé to avoid a bidding war.
But during a match, Pelé famously bent down to tie his Puma shoes on camera—earning Puma millions in free publicity.
Despite their bitter rivalry, both Adidas and Puma became giants in the global sportswear market.
Although Adi and Rudolf never reconciled during their lifetimes, their descendants made efforts to mend the rift.
In 2009, employees from both companies played a symbolic soccer match together—marking the end of a feud that lasted over 60 years.