Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Between the pages of this book lie the family saga of two brothers who ended up being torn apart due to war, personality and family. There is not really a happy ending although there is reconciliation among the posterity. Developing a better shoe and running a company are not necessarily the same thing as the players find out in this biography of two major shoe giant companies: Adidas and Puma. Although the book was good, it felt tedious and drawn out in place. I'm sure the author was trying to make sure that all the major players were included but maybe some of them should have been left out in the editing process. This was an interesting read into the world of sports and the attire accompanying the players and teams. Look for everyone from the soccer great Pele' to David Beckham and Joe Montana. I did appreciate the thoroughness that the author devoted to this work.

Three stripes. Three stars.

Smit bills her book, "Sneaker Wars," as the story of the family and corporate competition behind Puma and Adidas, but this is an Adidas book and the story of the legendary footwear house divided. Brother versus brother. Father versus son. France versus Germany. Old World versus New World.

Smit begins with skeletal biographies of the founding Dassler brothers: Adolf (Adidas) and Rudolf (Puma). The brothers worked and lived together, but after a World War II falling out, Rudolf struck out across the river on his own, and a rivalry was born. It was a rivalry that would play out over 50 years and three generations; but, one that was dominated by the Adidas corporation and the Adidas personalities, and they equally dominate Smit's work.

The book follows the Adi/Rudolf split and then move on to the division that emerges within Adidas as Adi's son, Horst, sets up a subsidiary - if often antagonistic - France-based branch. Horst cuts his own deals, sets up his own side businesses to inflate his bottom line, and provides the hustle that takes Adidas from a European sporting goods outfitter to a global fashion empire. But, remaining closely-held for many years by some combination of Dassler family members and confidantes, Adidas is a multi-million dollar conglomerate often operating on a shoestring. The family dynamic provides the arc of conflict that sustains Smit's narrative, and her gracious portrayal of Horst Dassler as a visionary 21st century kind of global businessman in a still-flat world is the center of gravity that grounds the meat of the book's middle portion.

Horst emerges as an almost surreal character: gifted and tireless, but perhaps less than ideal in his moral approach to family and business. The story of Adidas during his life is about a house divided between his operation - run mostly autonomously out of France - and his parents' in Germany.

That division theme runs throughout the narrative as surrounding this interesting portrayal of Horst Dassler are the stories of (earlier on) the drama around the split of his uncle and his father, complete with Nazi intrigue and Olympic escapades; and (later on) the series of ownership and management changes that transitioned Adidas from the small family-owned German cleat maker into one of the Western world's most recognizable and marketable brands, and saw conflict between the Old World ownership and US-based management.

There are side trips off into some interesting characters (Muhammad Ali, Pele, Joe Namath, Kobe Bryant), but these fail to deliver in any meaningful way and it becomes clear that Smit really sees this as a Dassler story. That said, she does avoid focusing even on some of the more controversial elements of the Dassler story, for example, the founding brothers' documented ties to Nazism.

A great read for anyone interested in the evolution of sports marketing.....
I have six competitive brothers, but the Dassler boys take the cake when it comes to being creative and vindictive with one another. Fascinating!

Adidas and Puma are iconic sneakers. I went to junior high school on Long Island the mid 1980s and remember paying an inordinate amount of attention to what sneakers were being worn and by whom. Back then of course it was really a battle between Nike Air Jordans versus any variety of Reebok. But everyone resepected Adidas as old school. After all, Run DMC rapped about them. I didn't have much brand loyalty; I dimly remember wearing Pumas in 1985 but can't recall a time when I ever actually owned a pair of Adidas. So the history of those two companies I wasn't so familiar with.

"Sneaker Wars" is an import from a European journalist who tells the entire Adidas vs. Puma story from the beginning and running up through the present day. Author Barbara Smit makes a convincing case that the Dassler brothers invented sports marketing as we know it and, almost by accident, changed the entire foundation underlying the Olympic games. This is a long journey from the small German town from which the Dasslers came -- and a long journey from the Nazi party membership, and World War II travails, of each brother. Smit basically absolves each Dassler of participating in any war crimes, which of course is essential for her in order to persuade anyone to read much past Chapter 2.

The story is very cohesive for about the first 40 years or so. We learn how Adi Dassler, and then his son Horst, transformed Adidas into first a national, then an international brand, with innovative marketing techniques and savvy business partnerships. On the other side, Rudolph Dassler and his heirs could not quite bring Puma to the same level. A pan-athletic roster of Big Names, a virtual Hall of Fame of sports, show up across these pages; we learn how Adidas and Puma rode the backs (or feet) of Joe Namath, or Pele, or Reggie Jackson, or Muhammad Ali, to tremendous wealth and personal glory. Similarly, we see the Olympics downgraded from the lofy amateur ideal and slip into the bloated sponsorship behemoth they've become today (this book's subtitle could well have been "From Chariots of Fire to Dan vs. Dave").

The final third of "Wars" occurs after the Dassler families sell off their respective companies. By the 1980s Adidas and Puma have been eclipsed by the likes of Nike and Reebok. They've been lapped on the one hand by new sneaker technology, and by poor marketing decisions on the other (for example, unintentional comedy emerges as Adidas tries, with limited success, to find The Next Michael Jordan). Adidas especially is turned over so rapidly to so many captains of industry that it becomes difficult to maintain much empathy for this formerly small-town, family-run company.

Adidas and Puma both reach something of a happy ending, as each company is restored to relevance, and as modern day stars such as David Beckham help them beat the red-inked balance sheets. The net effect of the book, at least for me, was a nostalgia trip back through the days when I put great thought into what sneaker brand I'd wear next.

Sneaker Wars sets out to cover a wide range of topics related to the rivalry between Adidas and Puma in addition to the start of the commercialization of sports. The book focuses primarily on Adidas and the rivalry within that company. The story describes how two brothers divided by their support over the Nazi Government went on to form two competing shoe companies. One would come to dominate the sports industry while another would provide stiff competition until the advent of Nike and Reebok. Adidas was further divided by the father and the son who divided Europe between traditional Germany and France. The French Adidas would define the sports industry by bribing, begging and sometimes stealing their way into Olympics and World Cups. The sheer shock of how much corruption came about from the effort of these two companies was a new level of greed into the world of sports. The development of endorsements would bring another level further still to corrupt sports and create new superstars through advertising. The book is well researched and tells a story that is often forgotten in the world of sports. For those who want to see how sports marketing and endorsements got their start then this is a book for you. For those who are interested in how these two companies came to compete against one another this book is for you. Finally if you are into the history of anything related to the sports industry then this is one to check out.

I'm more of a Puma fan, but have a few things from Adidas too. This book offers interesting insight into how two feuding brothers created these two iconic companies in postwar Germany. The story seems to tell more about Adidas and the firm's incredible influence on the world of sports. Puma details are sketchier, but still very interesting. Highly recommended of you have any interest in these two companies, or the influence of business on international sports.

What an amazing book, especially if you like sports, specially soccer, and would like to know more about its evolution throughout economical side.

Although it wasn't a very important part of the book, the details on the Run DMC account were blatantly wrong. The song came first; Anastasio went to Madison Square Garden to see the act after some convincing. The story accounted in the book is completely backwards. It made me doubt much of the history, especially in the first half of the book. Definitely revealed the political and biased nature of the book. Interesting account of sneaker history, but maybe shouldn't be read too literally.

This book was exactly what I was looking for. I have been an avid fan of Adidas and always thought there was great similarity between Adidas and Puma. To read this captivating family 'Dynasty' style account grabbed my interest and has completely changed the way I view sports and marketing. An interesting read, fascinating account, and great for intellectual property / marketing / fashion culture enthusiasts.

Found this book to be very interesting. A great historical account of the industry.