Adidas and Puma were started by two brothers who fell out so badly that they split their family company and divided their whole town. This lesson tells the story of one of the most famous rivalries in business, from the 1936 Olympics to the companies’ situation today, and gets students talking about brands, competition and loyalty. This B2 version looks at how a family feud shaped the sportswear industry, and where the two companies stand in 2026.
Level: B2 · Time: 45 to 90 minutes. Pick the activities that suit your class. They work in almost any order.
Lesson Activities
- Warmer: Who Is This? – Reveal the photo tile by tile. Is it old or new? What sport does he do? Clue: Berlin, 1936. (It’s Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals in Dassler shoes.)
- Prediction: Adidas or Puma? – Students guess which company each of 10 facts is about, then check after reading.
- Vocabulary: Pre-teach the Key Words – Match 10 words and phrases from the article to their meanings before reading (persuade, break down, feud, innovate, sponsorship, stake, survival…).
- Reading: Adidas vs Puma, a Family Feud That Shaped an Industry – An article with 12 gaps. Choose without a word bank or with a word bank for extra support.
- Discussion: Rivalry, Loyalty and Competition – 12 discussion questions on family businesses, brand loyalty, sponsorship, foreign investors and CEOs who join a rival.
- Speaking: Ranking – What makes you loyal to a brand? Students rank nine reasons, from quality and price to famous people and the company’s values, then compare with a partner.
Teacher Tips
- For a shorter lesson, use the warmer, the reading and the discussion cards.
- Language focus: look at the language of conflict and change in the article (broke down, betrayed, the feud divided, the balance of power has shifted, a twist). Students use it to describe a rivalry they know.
- Business English classes: ask students who their company’s main competitors are and how they compete (price, quality, brand, service).
- Follow-up: students choose another famous rivalry (Coca-Cola vs Pepsi, Apple vs Samsung, McDonald’s vs Burger King) and present it to the class.
Teaching a lower-level group? Try the B1 version of this lesson.