When Panathinaikos kept me alive

The European champion's visit to Texas.

The good news traveled across the Atlantic in a heartbeat; Panathinaikos BC to host exhibition games in the United States, Houston & San Antonio!

The adrenaline ran high, the excitement even higher. I was living abroad for about 10 years and now I had the chance to see my beloved team, the EUROPEAN CHAMPION, perform in front of my eyes. I happen to live in Texas. This opportunity would not be missed.

All these years I used to watch Panathinaikos games on-line through a choppy stream, if I was lucky via a Greek satellite provider and more often than not from a radio station like the good old days.
When I had the opportunity to return to Greece for a short vacation during the summer Panathinaikos had no games scheduled. A walk at Leoforos was the closest I could get to my team but was enough to revive my spirits and keep me alive for yet another year away from PAO.

Back in the states...I made some quick phone calls to other Panathinaikos friends around the States. We confirmed the days, we scheduled vacation time off, or sick days…whatever it took to be there close to our players, our team, our ideology.

After a long awaited 3-4 months, finally, October 11, 2007 came after many sleepless nights of excitement and my green brothers were with me. The game in Houston was only a few hours away, we were going to meet the players, and most importantly support them with our chant, PAO THRISKEIA THYRA 13!! I knew this was going to be the best day of my life. Meanwhile, we gathered the drums and practiced some old and new chants. We walked around the streets chanting and having people wondering “what is wrong with these people???”
We arrived at the stadium, they would not allow us to take the drums with us but we took them anyways, and then took our seats.

A few minutes later our beloved team enters the stadium. I feel goosebumps all over my body...

PANATHINAIKOS-PANATHINAIKOS!! The players are looking towards us...and we chant louder. Some Houston Rocket fans behind us tell us to sit down; we tell them to move over. Many other Panathinaikos fans are seating in different gates but our chants brings us all together.
The game was not close but we did not care, being there and chanting was what mattered the most.

On to San Antonio! Three hour drive that felt more like a walk down the street. For most it was our first time meeting with each other as some travelled to Texas from as far as Greece and England and we had only been communicating through Panathinaikos message boards; never met in real life. Panathinaikos flags hanging out the windows, chants inside the car, it felt like we knew each other for many years because we had something in common, an ideal and ideology, we were brothers, we were all...Panathinaikos.
Walking around the city of San Antonio a few hours prior to the game with our jerseys on gave us the opportunity to meet some more green brothers that came from different states to support our team.

It’s game time again. Teams are on the field and we are on the stands to do our jobs!!

Once again, the score did not matter to us.

After the game was over we had the opportunity to take a few pictures with some of the players.

And when the referee whistled the end of the game the PARTY started. We did not want these memorable 3 days to end

Those few days will be forever be “engraved” in my heart. Only Panathinaikos can make you feel this unusual way. When I needed it the most Panathinaikos was here to keep me alive.
Like I said…The happiest days of my life!