In the small town of Herzogenaurach, Germany, two brothers Adolf “Adi” Dassler and Rudolf “Rudi” Dassler changed the world of sports forever. In the 1920s, the brothers began making athletic shoes in their mother’s laundry room. Adolf was the quiet, technically minded craftsman, while Rudolf was the charismatic salesman. Together, they built the Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik (“Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory”), crafting innovative footwear worn by athletes in the 1928 and 1936 Olympics including Jesse Owens, who famously won four gold medals wearing Dassler spikes.
But after World War II, tensions between the brothers exploded into a bitter feud. In 1948, they split the company — Adolf founding Adidas (from Adi + Das), and Rudolf creating Puma. Their rivalry didn’t just divide the family; it split the entire town into two camps, with residents pledging loyalty to either Adidas or Puma. After the 1948 breakup, Herzogenaurach became the “town of bent necks” locals would glance down to check which shoes someone wore before deciding whether to talk to them. The two factories sat on opposite sides of the Aurach River, and for decades, employees wouldn’t cross the invisible line separating Adidas from Puma territory.
