1.Nike

A household name in the sports industry, Nike was founded in 1964 as “Blue Ribbon Sports”. The name was later changed in 1971. Today the company has 75,000 plus employees and has a net revenue of $32 billion. Nike is also the world’s largest supplier of athletic shoes. The company has sponsored famous sportspersons around the world including Christiano Ronaldo and Neymar. Nike also has a brand Air Jordan, dedicated to basketball player Michael Jordan.

2. Adidas

Another brand synonymous with sports, Adidas is a German sports brand that offers a wide range of products like footwear, deodorant, and sports equipment. Founded in 1949, Adidas has and still sponsors many games across the world including FIFA and  UEFA Champions League. Adidas’s sister companies include Reebok and  Runtastic.

3. Puma

Another German brand, Puma was founded in 1948. Although they sell many kinds of sports products, Puma is best known for their footwears. The company is mostly associated with fashion than sports and is endorsed by supermodels like  Cara Delevingne and Adriana Lima as well as actress/singer Selena Gomez.

4. Reebok

Founded in 1958, Reebok was acquired by Adidas in 2005. Reebok has a number of products under its name including footwear, sportswear, and sportswear. Reebok has sponsored sports kits for Indian Premier League (IPL) teams such as Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, and Chennai Super Kings. 

5. Under Armour

An American sports equipment company, Under Armour products include footwear, clothing, and casual apparel. The company is best known for sponsoring Tom Brady and Stephen Curry. The company was founded in 1996 and is the youngest entrant in the list of great American brands.

6. Asics

A Japanese brand, Asics was founded in 1949. It produces a wide variety of sports equipment, footwear, and other accessories. Asics rose to fame by sponsoring the Australian cricket team. The brand also gives importance to customer services, which offers provisions for product replacements.

7. Converse

A subsidiary of Nike, this company was founded in 1908. Converse is best known for its sneakers and skating shoes. The company also has a strong presence in sports like basketball and skateboarding. 

8. North Face

Established in 1966, North Face is best known for its outdoor equipment like trekking shoes, tents and other accessories for activities like mountaineering. North Face is owned by VF corporations, which have other brands like Lee and Wrangler under its name. 

9. Fila 

A sportswear company, Fila was established in Italy in 1911. The company made its presence known by sponsoring Israeli football club Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. In 2019, Korean pop band BTS signed with Fila to endorse its footwear.

10. New Balance

New Balance is an American sportswear company. It was established in 1906. The brand sponsored the Olympic teams of Ireland and Chile at the Rio 2016 Olympics. Its product range includes sportswear, cricket equipment, and apparel. 

Since the days of Cain and Abel, sibling relationships have been complicated, some have been involved in bitter fights over money and power, while others are purely playful, competitive one-upmanship.

These sibling relationships, however, have helped run our economies with the various businesses and ventures that came out of it.

Puma & Adidas

Did you know that this rivalry goes back to an actual sibling rivalry? Yes, you heard right!

The founders of both companies are actually siblings, and their feud goes back all the way to the 1920s.

The German brothers, Adolf and Rudolf Dassler, created a shoe company together in their mother’s laundry room.

The “Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory” as it was called saw business boom as did the tensions between the brothers. And though they didn’t always see eye to eye, they were always able to put their differences aside to work together, that is, until one fateful night during World War 2.

When they officially split up, Adolf started Adidas, combining his nickname “Adi” with the first three letters of his last name, while Rudolf created Puma, then named “Ruda” which was tweaked to share its name with a certain wildcat. The rivalry between Adidas and Puma remains even today, though it’s much friendlier.

Wright Siblings

The Wright brothers. Who doesn’t know Wilbur and Orville Wright, the inventors of the first successful aeroplane?

But did you know that Katharine, the Wright brothers’ youngest sibling, played a huge role in facilitating her brothers’ aviation success?

Katherine, who worked as a Latin teacher in Dayton, Ohio, had graduated from Oberlin and, although she wasn’t an engineer, she frequently corresponded with her brothers when they were in North Carolina, testing aeroplane prototypes.

The brothers used to bounce ideas off of her while she provided them emotional support and encouragement when they worried that flight simply wasn’t possible.

She also helped run her brothers’ bicycle company, which provided the funds that the brothers used to finance their aeroplane experiments.

Moreover, Katharine helped publicize the Wright Brothers’ success by encouraging them to do public flight demonstrations and give speeches.

Katharine even learned French, so she could hobnob with European royalty and aristocracy, spreading the word of her brothers’ aeronautical achievement.

Prince William & Harry

William and Harry who grew up royal, in the public eye, had endured the tragic loss of their mother at a young age. Now most of us know of Harry and William’s rivalry post the splitting of the household, although rivalry does seem destined what with William, the older brother, is to be king one day.

Despite that, this wasn’t entirely unexpected now that Harry was married, but media outlets still started speculating that a rift was growing between the brothers.

The speculation only got stronger after Harry decided to “step back” from royal duties and giving up his title and his land in January 2020. Though sources say that the brothers are “talking more and they’re on better footing”, it does seem like things are a little rocky between the royals.

Harry now lives in Los Angeles with his wife and son and is expected to have a Netflix deal at hand while William and his family continue to carry on with their royal duties.

Kim & Rob

Kim and Rob Kardashian are probably one of the most well-known pair of siblings in the world. Their show, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, saw their entire family grow up in the public eye. But that’s not all. The show didn’t just bring them publicity, it also brought them a fortune on the business front.

Though Rob is lesser-known of the two, Rob Kardashian appeared alongside his family in almost every episode of the show and used it as a platform to promote his business ventures.

Kim, along with the rest of her family, started her own beauty company KKW Beauty and clothing line SKIMS. Along with the reality TV income, endorsements and smaller investments, Kim’s net worth is estimated to be a whopping $1 billion, according to Forbes.

In 2020, Kim followed in her sister Kylie’s footsteps and sold a 20 per cent stake in her KKW Beauty line to Coty for $200 million. Kim’s 72 per cent stake in her cosmetics brand has an estimated value of $500 million. Her majority stake in SKIMS is estimated at $225 million.

Rob’s net worth is calculated to be at $10 million, the bulk of which comes from his appearances on Keeping Up With the Kardashians, while the rest comes from his various businesses.

Anil and Mukesh Ambani

Anil and Mukesh Ambani are one of the richest set of a sibling in Asia.

The brothers have a complicated relationship, having worked together under their father at Reliance Industries. At the time, they displayed remarkable chemistry, though the relationship appears to have broken down in the months after their father’s death.

Mukesh Ambani, 62, is the richest man in Asia with roughly US$50 billion, according to Forbes’ real-time assessment. While the older Ambani, Mukesh’s wealth, massively outweighs his younger brother’s fortune, Anil Ambani is not too far behind. Anil Ambani’s fortune in 2008 stood at US$42 billion, making him the sixth richest person in the world.

The brothers’ complicated, intertwined business ties have led to plenty of feuds over the years, with many in the press labelling Mukesh and Anil’s relationship a “sibling rivalry”.

The latest of several Western brands, Hennes & Mauritz, which has more than 400 stores in China, has locations missing from maps, ride-hailing, and e-commerce applications. Other brand includes Nike and Adidas, are also facing calls for boycotts in China.

The US announced last year that it would stop imports of cotton and other goods from Xinjiang, over allegations that the Chinese government uses forced labour in its production. Earlier this week, the Biden administration announced it was imposing sanctions against two Chinese officials over what it says are ongoing human rights abuses against China’s Uyghur Muslim population.

The Chinese government and state-run media, in response, have urged boycotts of Western brands. The Communist Party’s Youth League in China, on Wednesday, pointed to H&M’s statement from last year, in which the company said it was “deeply concerned by reports from civil society organizations and media that include accusations of forced labour and discrimination of ethnoreligious minorities in Xinjiang.” H&M said it would not source cotton from the Xinjiang region as a result.

In a statement posted to its Weibo page earlier this week, H&M China said the company did not “represent any political position” and that the company “continues to respect the Chinese consumer.”

Apple relies on Chinese mapping company AutoNavi for its Apple Maps in China.

According to CEO Kasper Rorsted “Reebok and Adidas will be able to significantly better realize their growth potential independently of each other.” “We will work diligently in the coming months to ensure a successful future for the Reebok brand and the team behind it,” he added.

The German sportswear giant on Tuesday recorded a statement that it has decided to begin a formal process “aimed at divesting Reebok”

Adidas new five-year strategy revealed their stance to sell Reebok which will be published on March 10. It bought the US label 15 years ago in a bid to expand its reach in Nike’s (NKE)’s home market. Reebok at the time had apparel deals with the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Football League (NFL).

The brand has disappointed with its underperformance in recent years and lost market share. According to financial statements, It now accounts for just 7% of Adidas’ sales, down from about 18% in 2010.

Adidas, which acquired Reebok in 2006 for $3.8 billion, will report the brand as “discontinued operations” from the first quarter of 2021.