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Founders: #109 Adi Dassler (Adidas)

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What I learned from reading Sneaker Wars: The Enemy Brothers Who Founded Adidas and Puma and The Family Feud That Forever Changed The Business of Sports by Barbara Smit. ---- This story begins at a time in history when money and sports were still two separate worlds [0:01] A family business struggling to survive / drafted into WWI / Adi Dassler’s EXTREME resourcefulness and personality / [3:15] Early distribution and marketing of sports shoes [10:06] The Dassler Brothers were opposites: Adi was the quiet craftsman with soul in the game. Rudolf was ostentatious and loud. [12:46] The chronicle and biography of Adi Dassler: A story about someone obsessed with making high quality products [14:00] Was Adi Dassler a Nazi? / My experience with the totalitarianism of the Castro regime / tearing up thinking of having to risk the lives of your children [24:30] Adi Dassler reminds me of Henry Royce [29:30] The difficulties of building a business during World War II [32:15] Adi starting over at the age of 46 / How the Adidas stripes came about [38:15] Athletes start requesting bribes to wear Adidas / How the payoffs happened [46:00] Breaking into a new market was a slow, labor intensive proces

[00:00:00] At a time when money and sports were still two separate worlds, the most admired athletes and soccer players enjoyed dropping by in the small Bavarian town for a chat with Adi Dassler, the ingenious German cobbler behind Adidas. On the other side of the small river that runs through the town, the guests were just as impressive. Just after the war, Rudolf Dassler had walked over after a blazing fight with his brother Adi and set up Puma, a competing brand. Their feud shaped the modern sports business, giving rise to corruption and ever-increasing financial stakes. For several…

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