The Sibling Rivalry Behind Adidas Versus Puma
Transcript
Adidas and Puma are two of the biggest rivals in shoes.
But did you know that their founders were two halves of a once happy family business that turned into a level of brother rage so intense it will get the sneaker heads’ tongues awaggin‘?
See what I did there?
In the 1930’s, the Dassler brothers’ sport shoe company in Bavaria made the most kick-ass athletic shoes in all the land.
The company even gave Jesse Owens a pair of shoes to compete in the 36th Olympics.
When Jesse won, the brothers’ shoes blew up.
But all of that success was not good for their relationship.
Tensions flared.
Some say there was stealing, affairs, resentment and after World War II the brothers were so out of step they eventually ended the company.
In 1949, Adolf, or Adi Dassler, formed Adidas, a play on his nickname.
Rudolf Dassler started Puma because, well, that name is awesome.
The brothers sued each other many, many times over the years over all sorts of design and trademark issues costing each other a fortune in lawyers and suits.
Their two factories built in the same Bavarian village of Herzogenaurach polarized the community with local people picking sides by picking shoes.
The brothers died two years apart.
They were buried at opposite ends of the village graveyard.
Proof that even in death there remained a great bitter divide between them.
And so it was for decades until 2009.
Employees of Adidas and Puma in the village where the two companies still have their headquarters came together and played a friendly soccer match.
And started the process of healing decades of enmity.
And began a new era of love and shoes.
Vocabulary List
founder
(noun) the person who establishes an organization or institution
rage
(noun) a violent or uncontrollable outburst of anger
intense
(adjective) very strong or powerful
sneaker head
(noun) a person who is very interested in sneakers
kick-ass
(adjective, slang) very impressive
blow up
(verb) to suddenly become popular or important
tension
(noun)a situation in which people do not trust each other
flare
(verb) to suddenly become more intense
resentment
(noun) a feeling of anger or bitterness caused by a sense of being treated unfairly
sue
(verb) to take legal action against someone
issue
(noun)
a subject or problem that is often discussed or argued about
suit
(noun) a legal action
polarize
(verb) to cause people to divide into two opposing groups
bitter
(adjective) feeling or showing strong anger or hostility
divide
(noun) a separation or division between two things
enmity
(noun) a feeling of hatred or hostility
Common Expressions
Let’s learn 3 idioms in this video.
1. But did you know that their founders were two halves of a once happy family business that turned into a level of brother rage so intense it will get the sneaker heads’ tongues awaggin’?
set tongues wagging
(idiom)
to cause people to start talking and gossiping about something
More examples:
– The news of their engagement set tongues wagging.
– The couple’s public displays of affection were sure to set tongues wagging.
– The politician’s sudden resignation set tongues wagging about what might have happened.
2. Some say there was stealing, affairs, resentment and after World War II the brothers were so out of step they eventually ended the company.
out of step
(idiom)
having different ideas or beliefs than the people around you
More examples:
– The governor’s remarks were out of step with the views of the majority of voters.
– I’m always feeling out of step with my peers. I guess I’m just a bit of a rebel.
– This type of training is out of step with changes in the industry.
3. Their two factories built in the same Bavarian village of Herzogenaurach polarized the community with local people picking sides by picking shoes.
choose/pick sides
(idiom) to support one person or cause and not the other
More examples:
– I don’t want to pick sides in this argument, I think both sides have valid points.
– The media is always trying to get people to pick sides.
– I’m not sure who to pick sides with in this election, both candidates have their pros and cons.