Roughly 15 years ago, Adidas acquired rival sneaker maker Reebok in a deal meant to challenge Nike's rise to dominance. Roughly 20 years before that, Reebok itself was the dominant brand, with sales that topped Nike's.

Today Reebok is worth a fraction of what Adidas paid for it, makes less in sales than Nike by many factors, and is back up for sale. What happened?

To trace Reebok's rise and fall, Retail Dive Senior Editor Cara Salpini recently took a look back in time, talking with one of the sneaker brand's founders as well as others involved in or watching the brand during its heyday.

The story she tells sheds light on narrative twists in the sector still playing out today. With Reebok likely to start another chapter, Salpini joined The Backroom to talk about its spirited history as well as alternate histories and futures where perhaps it could have stayed on top, or at least close to it.

Resource Links:

• Reebok was meant to be a 'Nike killer.' How the brand lost its No. 1 spot
• Adidas officially aims to divest Reebok
• Reebok releases first glimpse at new brand direction
• How Nike is using DTC and data to expand its empire