I picked this book up at the local Lilliput Libraries and thought I would give it a read. It proved to be far more interesting than I first thought and is relevant to this retirement site. It is the story of the two brothers who founded Adidas and Puma. It is also a history of sport from, the amateur days and the controversy of the German Olympics in 1936, to modern day professional sports. It is also a story of ambition, rivalry, greed, and how lack of family trust can leave very rich people without money and with broken families.
It is a really well researched history of all the major players in the sports shoe industry as well as Adidas and Puma. It also traces the transition of elite sports from the domain of people who had the time and money for sport to modern professional sports where those with talent and personality can potentially make a living from sports no matter what their background.
The thing that stands out to me was the epilogue. Some retired well and can dabble in their interests but too many others died early of stress related illness and became estranged from family members. As one member of the original Dassler family puts it ‘the family disputes still give him nightmares.’ It is so interesting to read of the personal struggles of those who controlled companies worth billions. It speaks loudly of the importance of making sure all your family relationships are healthy, and your estate planning is well sorted and transparent.
For those not into reading and are interested in the story there is a recently released three-part documentary series. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p03MPdt0f7U