adidas & PUMA End 70+ Years Feud That Split German Hometown

The German town of Herzogenaurach has been the staging ground of one of the most longstanding feuds in recent history — that of the rivalry between adidas and PUMA, both of which claim the town of 22,000 as their hometown. Born out of a falling-out between brothers Adolf and Rudolf Dassler during World War II, the former went on to found adidas, and the latter, PUMA. The resulting growth of both sportswear giants has effectively divided the town in half, with residents siding with one brand, and in doing so defining their own identities, earning the town the nickname “the city of bent necks” for the way everyone would first gaze at another’s shoes. However, that feud is over now, with the proposal of joint practice between the “pumeraner” and “adidassler” boys’ soccer teams marking the beginning of a thaw in the long-standing détente. Today, adidas and PUMA officials say the feud is over, with a town center fountain built in 2008 depicting children playing tug-of-war, one side wearing PUMA and the other side, adidas. Leave your thoughts below and head over to The Wall Street Journal for the full read.