Adidas

the story
Adidas and Puma have been two of the biggest names in sports shoe MANUFACTURING for over
60 years. Since 1928 they have SUPPLIED shoes for Olympic athletes, World Cup winning
football stars, Muhammad Ali, hip hop stars and famous rock musicians from all over the world.
But the story of these two SUCCESSFUL companies _____________ in one and the same house
in the town of Herzogenaurach in Germany.

Adolph and Rudolph Dassler ___________ the sons of a shoemaker. They l_____________ sport
but they always ________________ that they could never find comfortable shoes to play in.
Rudolph always __________, You cannot play sports wearing shoes that youd walk around in
town with. So they ___________ making their own. In 1920 Adolph __________ the first PAIR of
athletic shoes with spikes, produced on the Dasslers kitchen table.

On 1st July 1924 they ______________ a shoe company, Dassler Brothers Ltd. The company
________________ successful and it ______________ the shoes for Germanys athletes at the
1928 and 1932 Olympic Games.

But in 1948 the brothers ____________ ARGUING. Nobody _____________ exactly what
happened but family members _______________ that the argument was about money or women.
The RESULT was that Adolph ____________the company. His nickname ___________ Adi , and
using the first three letters of his family name, he founded Adidas.
Rudolph RELOCATED across the river Aurach and ____________his own company too. At first
he ____________ to call it Ruda, but EVENTUALLY he called it Puma, after the wild cat. The
famous Puma LOGO of the jumping cat has SURVIVED until the present day.

After the big split up in 1948 Adolph and Rudolph never ___________ to each other again and
since then their companies have been in COMPETITION with each other in the world of sports.
Both companies ___________ market leaders for many years, ALTHOUGH Adidas has always
been more successful than Puma. In the 1970s the two German companies
___________competition from new EMERGING sportswear firms in America, Nike and Reebok.

The town split in two after the bothers _____________.

Even now, some Adidas and Puma EMPLOYEES dont even talk to each other.