Adidas vs. Puma
This lesson centers on an article about the conflict around the creators of the Adidas
& Puma founders: the Dassler brothers. Exercises focus on related vocabulary,
alternate word forms, prediction, scanning and comprehension exercises.
Before Reading - Conversation
Do you wear sneakers?
Do you have a favorite Brand?
What sports are the most popular in your country?
What do you know about Adidas and/or Pumas stores?
Read.
Shoe Wars: The Enemy Brothers
Who Founded ADIDAS and PUMA
Adidas and Puma are of the biggest rival in sport shoes industry. But did you know that their
founders were brothers??
Rudolf Dassler was born on March 26th, 1898 in the small
German town of Herzogenaurach. Two years later his
younger brother Adolf Dassler was born on November
3rd, 1900. Rudolf being the older brother was more
extroverted and outgoing, while Adolf was the more
quiet, thoughtful, and inventive one.
Herzogenaurach was a town were most of the citizens
earned their living working for the numerous shoemakers
in town. In the Dassler´s family mother Pauline operated
a small laundry service. Their father Christoph Dassler worked in one of the shoe factories. In
1913 Adolf decided to take after his father and learn the skills of a cobbler. As older brother
Rudolf was shipped off to war in 1914, Adi began on his endeavor to create their own shoe
company.
In the 1920s the brothers founded the Dassler brother sport shoe company in the small town
of Herzogenaurach. Adolph Dassler was quiet a craft man who designed a made the shoes,
and his older brother Rudolph was the natural salesman. Despite the fact that both brothers
were members of the somewhat unsavory Nazi party they managed to convince legendary
Olympian Jesse Owens to wear their shoes. In the 1936 Olympic games Owens won four gold
medals. His victory gave Dassler shoes international exposure, but all the success was not
good for the relationship. There is much speculation about what caused the brothers to fall
out. Some say there was stealing, affairs or resentment. And after the World War II the
brothers eventually split their company in two...
Adolph named his factory Adidas (short for Adi
Dassler). Rudolph attempted the same by naming
his company RUDA (Rudolph Dassler) but changed
it eat to the more athletic sounding PUMA. It was a
nasty family feud that not only pitted two brothers
against one another but also separated the people
of their town into opposing factions for 60 years.
“The split between the Dassler brothers was to
Herzogenaurach what the building of the Berlin wall
was for the German capital”.
Most of the Herzogenaurach citizens were employed by one of the Dassler brothers if you
work for one company you did not socialize with employees of the other company.
Herzogenaurach came to be known as the “town of bent neck” because people would first
look at the person´s footwear and then greet or ignore them.
The brothers sued each other many many times over the years, speculating on all sorts of
designs and trademarks issues. Addie and Rudy both die in the 1970s, they are both buried in
the same cemetery but as far as possible from each other. The two never reconciled.
In business terms it is Addie who has won. In Herzogenaurach there is even a statue in his
honor. Adidas is now by far the bigger company, employing 39,000 compared with pumas
9000. But it is the nature of the Adi and Rudy driven rivalry that has given both firms their
fighting spirit.
Relations didn’t really improve between the two firms until September 21st, 2009, when they
arranged a football match between workers of both factories. That started the process of
healing decades of enmity and a new era of love and shoes started.
READING COMPREHENSION.
Answer the following questions.
I.
What was the first Dasslers family business?
II.
What was the role of Rudy and Adi at the Dassler brother sport shoe company?
III.
Who was the first person to wear the Dasslers brother´s shoes?
IV.
What was/were the cause of the brothers fall out?
V.
How did the brothers fight affect the Herzogenaurach people?
VI.
With what other historical moment the Dasslers brother´s fight was compared?
VII.
How was the Herzogenaurach town known after the Dassler´s fight?
VIII.
Why did the Dassler´s brothers sue each other?
IX.
Who has supposedly won the fight so far and why?
X.
When and why did the companies started to reconcile?
VOCABULARY.
Find meaning by context of the following words and phrases. Then confirm by searching for
dictionary meaning.
RIVAL
FACTION
UNSAVORY
COBBLER
RESENTMENT
TRADEMARK
PITTED AGAINST
FAMILY FEUD
What do they mean with the following sentences?
“town of bent neck”
The Dassler brothers was to Herzogenaurach what the building of the Berlin wall was for the
German capital.
Group work
 Imagine you work for Adidas or Puma. Discuss which team or sport start you want to
hire to promote your products, give reasons why they are good for your brand.
 The two firms arranged a football match between the company workers to start a
healing process. Mention two other ideas that you would implement to improve the
Puma & Adidas’s companies’ relationship.
https://youtu.be/HCzB7ou6Rig
ANSWER SHEET
READING COMPREHENSION.
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
In the 1920s the brothers founded the Dassler brother sport shoe company in the
small town of Herzogenaurach.
Adolph Dassler was quiet a craft man who designed a made the shoes, and his
older brother Rudolph was the natural salesman.
They convinced legendary Olympian Jesse Owens to wear their shoes in the 1936
Olympic games.
Some say there was stealing, affairs or resentment.
The family feud separated the people of their town into opposing factions for 60
years.
If you work for one company you were not allowed to socialize with employees of
the other company. Herzogenaurach came to be known as the “town of bent
neck” because people would first look at the person´s footwear and then greet or
ignore them.
“The split between the Dassler brothers was to Herzogenaurach what the building of
the Berlin wall was for the German capital”.
The brothers sued each other many times over the years, speculating on all sorts of
designs and trademarks issues.
In business terms it is Addie who has won. In Herzogenaurach there is even a statue
in his honor. Adidas is now by far the bigger company, employing 39,000 compared
with pumas 9000.
until September 21st, 2009, when they arranged a football match between workers
of both factories.
RIVAL: a person or thing competing with another for the same objective or for superiority
in the same field of activity
UNSAVORY: disagreeable and/or unpleasant
RESENTMENT: bitter indignation at having been treated unfairly.
PITTED AGAINST: to cause (someone or something) to fight or compete against (another
person or thing)
FACTION: a party or group that is often contentious or self-seeking
COBBLER: a person who mends shoes as a job.
TRADEMARK: word, phrase, symbol, and/or design that identifies and distinguishes the
source of the goods of one group from those of others
FAMILY FEUD: A bitter, often prolonged quarrel or state of enmity, especially such a state
of hostilities between two families or clans.