Adidas was founded in 1948 by Adolf “Adi” Dassler, following the split of Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik between him and his older brother,Rudolf. Rudolf later established Puma, which was the early rival of Adidas. Registered in 1949, Adidas is currently based in Herzogenaurach, Germany, along with Puma.

Puma AG Rudolf Dassler Sport, officially branded as PUMA, is a major German multinational company that produces high-end athletic shoes, lifestyle footwear and other sportswear. Formed in 1924 as Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik by Adolf and Rudolf Dassler, relationships between the two brothers deteriorated until the two agreed to split in 1948, forming two separate entities, Adidas and Puma.

Both brothers joined the Nazi Party, but Rudolf was slightly closer to the party. During the war, a growing rift between the pair reached a breaking point after an Allied bomb attack in 1943 when Adi and his wife climbed into a bomb shelter that Rudolf and his family were already in. “Here are the bloody bastards again,” Adi said, apparently referring to the Allied war planes, but Rudolf was convinced his brother meant him and his family.After Rudolf was later picked up by American soldiers and accused of being a member of the Waffen SS, he was convinced that his brother had turned him in.

In 1948, the brothers split their business. Rudolf left the high hill for the other side of the Aurach River to start his own company. It was from this split that Adolf started his own sportswear company with the name he formed using his nickname “Adi” and the first three letters of his last name “Das”, to establish Adidas. Rudolf created a new firm that he calledRuda – from “Ru” in Rudolf and “Da” in Dassler. Rudolf’s company would later change its name to Puma Schuhfabrik Rudolf Dassler in 1948.

The brothers earlier split led to a divided town. From 1948, the town was similar to a mini-Berlin. Brand loyalty became supreme for residents; several stores, bakeries and bars were unofficially known as either loyal to Rudolf’s Puma, or to Adolf’s Adidas. Even the town’s two football clubs were also divided: ASV Herzogenaurach club supported the three stripes, while 1 FC Herzogenaurach endorsed Rudolf’s footwear. When handymen were called to Rudolf’s home, they would wear Adidas shoes deliberately so that when Rudolf would see their footwear, he would tell them to go to the basement and pick out a pair of free Puma shoes. The two brothers never reconciled, and although both are buried in the same cemetery, they are spaced apart as far as possible.

Yep so that’s why there has always be a rivalry between Puma and Adidas

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