Sneaker Wars: The Enemy Brothers Who Founded Adidas and Puma and the Family Feud That Forever Changed the Business of Sports

Front Cover
Harper Collins, Mar 17, 2009 - Business & Economics - 400 pages

Sneaker Wars is the fascinating true story of the enemy brothers behind Adidas and Puma, two of the biggest global brands of athletic footwear. Adi and Rudi Dassler started their shoe business in their mother's laundry room and achieved almost instantaneous success. But by the end of World War II a vicious feud had torn the Dasslers apart, dividing their company and their family and launching them down separate, often contentious paths. Out of the fires of their animosity, two rival sneaker brands were born, brands that would revolutionize the world of professional sports, sparking astonishing behind-the-scenes deals, fabulous ad campaigns, and multimillion-dollar contracts for pro athletes, from Joe Namath to Muhammad Ali to David Beckham.

 

Contents

the dassler boys
3
two brothers at war
15
the split
25
olympic handouts
41
the alsatian plot
55
dirty tricks in mexico
67
the puma swinger
77
stars and stripes
87
olympic friends
163
collapse
187
the emperor strikes back
205
MultibillionDollar Rescue
229
the sellout
245
stir it up
259
triple bluff
273
the comeback
289

from rags to riches
99
soccer punch
111
Champions of the World
121
under the influence
123
the clandestine empire
149
sneaker wars II
309
high noon
329
sources
345
bibliography
365
Copyright

Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

About the author (2009)

Barbara Smit has written for The Financial Times (London), The International Herald Tribune, The Economist, and Time, among other publications. She lives in France.

Bibliographic information