A Raging Rivalry Led to Great Success
Without Adi and Rudolf being so angry with each other and so desperate to outdo one another, Adidas and Puma may never have become as big or important as they are today. When both men passed away, their respective sons took over the businesses.
Footballs lay on the pitch before a football match between employees of German sports equipment manufacturers Puma and Adidas in the southern German city of Herzogenaurach on September 21, 2009. The sporting event ‘Peace one day’ is the first event by both companies since their split more than sixty years ago. Photo credit TIMM SCHAMBERGER/AFP/Getty Images
Nowadays, both Adidas and Puma are public companies, no longer owned by their respective families, and they’ve contributed a huge amount to the world, and especially the town of Herzogenaurach, which has developed enormously over the years and had a super strong economy and lots of jobs thanks to the Adidas and Puma brands.