2. Adidas
Worldwide sportswear sales: $23.5 billion
Main sports product: Shoes
Founded in: 1949
Based in: Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany
Owned by: Adidas AG
Adidas is the second-largest player in the world’s sportswear sector. Adolf Dassler created this business (hence the name). The German company, like its arch rival Nike, primarily manufactures shoes for all types of sporting activities, but it is also currently a more broad sports brand and active in many other spheres of the sports and everyday lifestyle industries.
3. Puma
Worldwide sportswear sales: $6.2 billion
Main sports product: Shoes
Founded in: 1948
Based in: Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany
Owned by: Puma SE
Adolf Dassler, who founded Adidas, and his brother Rudolf founded Puma. Initially, the company was formed and run by the brothers. They eventually decided to break ways and start their own independent businesses after having a heated dispute. Adidas and Puma are both based in the same little Bavarian town. Even though it is far smaller than its sibling company, they are still a powerful third in the world’s sportswear market.
4. Under Armour
Worldwide sportswear sales: $4.5 billion
Main sports product: Shoes
Founded in: 1996
Based in: Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Owned by: Under Armour, Inc.
Like the top three athletic clothing companies, Under Armour focuses primarily—though not exclusively—on shoes. The American business is quite new, having only been established in the middle of the 1990s. However, the Baltimore-based sportswear company has had a lot of ambition and is quickly becoming a major player in the footwear and sporting goods industries.
