Where I come from, today is a big day. The city is preparing for a football derby and the rivalry is being rejuvenated. PAOK has been undefeated for over 60 games (I would have to look it up), and they are the holder and contender of the Greek Super League championship. Aris is always an important opponent, and has always been followed by fans independently of the lack of success of the club. Today was a great match, or so I heard, that my team Aris dominated and easily won 4 -2! Joy to the winners, agony to the opposition as their chances of winning the league are going from good to questionable.
Days like these have been the centre of our universe while growing up. In a neighbourhood where I was the minority, I heard a lot of teasing and heckling and arguing from my friends and schoolmates. But then, Galis came to town, and the earth moved! Aris became the brand name and basketball became the household product that everyone loved or at least appreciated. The rivalry changed. Aris was the undisputed force in the city and in the nation. The taunting chant “Never, never” still echoes in the psyche of those PAOK fans of the 80s. But the rivalry was strong and healthy and supporting growth for the sport. I started playing basketball a few years before the sport became popular, and only very few were following what was happening in the local and national leagues. All of the sudden people were becoming interested in learning about the sport and national tv was showing European competition games every Thursday night. Our parents were making fun of the referee gestures and mimicking them was becoming a joke amongst entertainers. At the same time, I kept practicing hard every day, more than once a day in order to become like my idols that were living in the city. Everyone was living around basketball. Courts were built in every corner, in every town and every village, all my friends at school were playing as well and we were making sure to have a ball and a hoop handy whenever we had 5 minutes free.
I always remember with nostalgia those years. That sport was the space where I grew up. That is where I felt strength, that is where I made lifelong friends, that is where I got a sense of importance, that is where I challenged myself physically and mentally. In the tar-covered courts of the city, in the cold and rain, under the scorching sun, in the dark and musky weightlifting gyms, that is where I found myself, that is where I moulded my character and it’s flaws.
I also found rock ‘n’ roll and made it the soundtrack of that time. Music was added to the picture. Songs were the company in my head during all these challenges and their lyrics became poetry and meaningful wisdom. I really have a lot to say about that but I will save it for another day.
How did I get to my growing up from today’s game? I really don’t know. It is probably the remaining connection to the past. A past that has been left behind, an orphan growing up alone. These games are an enduring connection with people that have been lost, a connection with places that are being missed, with memories that are left un-nourished and dry. I love reminiscing. Maybe because I have a lot to remember from growing up, maybe because I feel good about who I was, or even maybe because I don’t have much to show for in my adulthood. Psychologists can have a field day!