The historic duel between German brands Puma and Adidas will soon be brought to the screen

The decades-long conflict between two Bavarian brothers, who founded two sports shoe brands, is to be adapted into a television series.

Rudolf and Adolf Dassler, sons of a shoemaker, took over the family business in 1924 and specialized in the manufacture of athletic shoes. They produced lightweight leather sneakers, much less rigid than existing models. In 1936, at the Berlin Olympics, American athlete Jesse Owens won four gold medals wearing the spiked shoes developed by the two brothers, further increasing the company's reputation. But at the end of World War II, the beautiful story came to an end.

Rumor has it that it was a romantic rivalry that drove Adolf and Rudolf apart. The rest is history: each brother founded his own company in Herzogenaurach , their hometown in Bavaria. Rudolf founded Puma in 1948, and Adolf gave his company his nickname: Adi Dassler, which is short for Adidas. The "three-stripe brand" was founded in 1949. The two companies were rivals and neighbors, only 500 meters apart, separated only by the Aurach River, which cuts the town in two.

Employees who previously worked for the Dassler family business are asked to choose sides and join either Rudolf or Adolf. This rivalry is visible even in the shops: Adidas employees frequent certain butcher shops and bakeries, while Puma employees shop in other stores, without mingling.

In the city, we look down to see what sneakers the person we pass is wearing and thus know who we are dealing with. There are two football clubs, one for Puma, the other for Adidas... A very complicated conflict for the city's flower delivery man, obliged to have two pairs of shoes in his van, and to choose either Adidas or Puma depending on the deliveries he was making.

A TV series will soon tell the story of the Dassler brothers' saga, this family and industrial feud, which has calmed down over time. The 26,000 residents once again frequent the same shops, and you can have, in the same family, a husband who works at Adidas and his wife at Puma without it causing a scandal.

Rudolf and Adolf died in the 1970s, never having reconciled. They are both buried in the same cemetery in Herzogenaurach… but each at opposite ends of the spectrum.