Adidas

German sports goods manufacturer and supplier, formed in 1924 (as Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik) by Adolf ‘Adi’ Dassler. Beginning as a manufacturer of football boots and running shoes, Adidas developed into the world's second largest sports goods supplier (after Nike). It acquired its current name in 1948 when Adolf's brother, Rudolph, founded rivals sports goods company Puma.

In 1989 the Dassler family withdrew from the management of the company, which then became a corporation. In 2006 it acquired Reebok International, another well-known and respected brand in the worldwide sporting goods industry. Adidas has sponsorship deals with many of the world's top athletes, clubs, and sporting events.