SHOE-BIZZ, Brothers turn foes How Adidas and Puma were born Bhai Bhai ka dushman is not just

t a Hindi film phenomenon. Family feuds and rivalry are very much prominent in the business world too. The creators of worlds biggest sports wear brands ADIDAS and PUMA were born brothers but ended up as the greatest enemies of all time. Their rivalry reached a feverish pitch not only splitting their family, but also dividing their home town into two dissenting factions. The Adidas group website lists the brands founding date as august 18, 1949, yet the story actually begins over two decades earlier. Adolf Dassler (Adi) started his own line of shoes in his mothers laundry room while living in the small Bavarian town of Herzogenaurach, Germany. He was later joined by his elder brother Rudolf Dassler (Rudi) and together they formed Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory in 1924. Their venture roped in stars like Jesse Owens for sponsorship who wore the Dassler shoes in the Summer Olympics of 1936. This sort of branding made their shoes highly popular in whole of the Europe. But the Allied Bomb attack played the role of a villain in their happy family business. In 1940s both brothers joined the Nazi party when Hitler rose to power. After the bomb attack in 1943, when Adi and his wife climbed into a bomb shelter which was already occupied by Rudi and his family, Adi exclaimed The dirty bastards are back again clearly referring to the Allied Warplanes. However, Rudi was convinced that it was meant for him and his family. The damage was never repaired. Rudi was drafted to fight in World War II and was captured by the Allied Forces. American soldiers suspected him of being a member of the SS (Hitlers parliamentary force) and he was sure that his brother, Adi, had ratted him out. What followed was the split of the Dasslers and unending rift between the two brothers. This miscommunication can be ironically credited for the formation of two of the most famous sportswear brands in the world. Adolf Dassler formed Adidas by using the letters of his na me (Adi Dassler) and Rudolf formed Ruda, but then changed it to a more appealing name, Puma which means panther in German. The entire town of Herzogenaurach was bogged down in this family feud dividing themselves into two different parties. There were two separate football clubs in the town; even marrying across the company lines was forbidden. Herzogenaurach came to be known as the town of bent necks as people first checked the shoes that one is wearing before actually talking to them. The two brothers never really reconciled, and even in their death the rift continued. Although both were buried in the same cemetery, but at totally opposite ends. It was in 2009, the CEOs of two brands took the initiative of holding a friendly soccer match , thus bringing an end to the 60 years old rivalry. Hoping, that now the residents of Herzogenaurach can have two brands of shoes in their shoe-racks. A Happy Ending is what people always want, be it in movies or in reality.