Tuesday marked the first game of the 2014 MLB World Series. Hoping to repeat their 1985 victory, the Kansas City Royals will battle the San Francisco Giants for a chance at the Commissioner’s Trophy. In this 1985 Puma ad, equally suited to the brand itself as it was to then-Royals star George Brett, the headlines reads “Because if you’re not the predator, you’re the prey.”
Puma made its most recent attempt at a resurgence into sports marketing with a massive donation of multi-colored cleats to players in the 2014 World Cup. Still, the brand fell behind its larger competitors like Nike and Adidas. Will the Kansas City Royals face a similar defeat and another 29 years without a title? Only time will tell.
FUN FACT: Think you know sibling rivalry? When The Dassler Brothers Sports Shoe Company split in 1948, Adolph “Adi” Dassler went on to create world-famous sports brand Adidas. Facing declining sales, his brother Rudolph Dassler eventually changed the name of his own athletic brand “Ruda” to, you guessed it, Puma. (Source: Fortune)