During the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Dassler equipped Jesse Owens of the USA with his shoes. Jesse Owens won 4 gold medals in the year he wore Adi's shoes.
Not even the best part! They were actually fierce rivals who disagreed on everything, and the straw that broke the camel's back was when Adolf agreed to take Rudolf and his family into his bomb shelter during an Allied bombing raid, and as Rudy was coming down the path with his wife, another wave of planes rolled in and Adolph said "oh it's those bloody bastards again." Rudolf thought Adolph was referring to him, which started the feud between them that got so bad Rudolph started an entirely new sportswear company after the war just to spite his brother's company.
So that's where these two massive brands and decades of feuding came from. A stupid misunderstanding that would have been idiotic as a plot point in a 90s sitcom.
So that's where these two massive brands and decades of feuding came from. A stupid misunderstanding that would have been idiotic as a plot point in a 90s sitcom.