9. Adolph Dassler used his name for his new company
Adolph Dassler selected his nickname – Adi – and the first three letters of his last name to christen his new shoe company Adidas. He hit upon the idea of coloring the reinforcing straps of the sides of the shoes in a different shade than the rest of the shoe. In March 1949, he trademarked the three-stripe logo. Adi concentrated his efforts on the development of football boots in rapidly rebuilding Europe. His Adidas company developed the innovation of screw-in spikes for his boots, allowing players to gain superior traction on muddy pitches. Adidas provided spikes of varying lengths, giving the wearer the ability to decide which were most suitable for prevailing conditions. The spikes also prevented mud from building up on and around the sole. Muddy boots were heavier and more fatiguing for the wearer. Exposure on the football fields and the three-stripe logo gave Adidas favorable publicity.
The company grew rapidly. In 1952, Adidas settled a dispute with a Finnish company which had a similar three-stripe logo. Adidas claimed they had invented it, though the Finnish company, Karhu Sports, produced pairs of shoes from the 1940s which preceded Adidas’ use of the logo. To settle the issue, Adidas purchased the logo for two bottles of whiskey and cash. Meanwhile, a bitter rivalry emerged with the shoe factory across the river, operated by Rudolf. Both brothers paid athletes to wear their shoes, at football matches, track and field meets, and other sporting events. In the 1960 Summer Olympics, Armin Hary won the Gold Medal for the 100 meters. Before stepping on the podium, he changed his shoes from the pair he wore for the race to a pair of Adidas, hoping to be paid for endorsing them. Adi refused payment.