Forty thousand men and boys were crushed together in the terraces. They had a blinding drive to conform and a need to belong (New Internationalist, 1985). The scene is described as a sea of bodies swarming together in a giant wave. The "Shankly Gates", was another illustrious landmark. Upon entering the gates, the massive crowd was unified in sportsmanship at the KOP. Crowd and player relationships were inseparable, and the scenes were unforgettable. The fans were wild with joy as they professed their love for the players; who gained great esteem and status from the crowd. At one with each other, connecting through emotions, physical intimacy and psychological arousal, making it difficult to concentrate on individuality. Shankly once said "To Tommy Smith after he'd turned up for training with a bandaged knee: Take that poof bandage off, and what do you mean, YOUR knee, it's LIVERPOOL'S knee" (Shankly Quotes).

This phenomenon became known as the "terrace culture", and as any other subculture, possessing unique characteristics belonging to them (New Internationalist, 1985). Creative in their distinctive identification, they condone displays of unusual behavior, values and acceptable norms (e.g., urinating in the stands) (Alcock et al., 2001). "Football Hooliganism" is an important example of terrace culture; which occurs in every country where the game is played. The experience appears to be a symptom and functional part of the passion fans feel for their club (English Premier Football League, 2001). Rituals include drinking, singing, chanting, and fighting. The fans had a strong desire to win, and at all costs. The game took on a gladiator appeal as noted by Shankly's "life and death" comment. In Europe, the British fans gained a reputation as suffering from the "English Disease" (McCallum & O'Brien, 1998). A stigma made popular in England, subsequent to media over representation/sensationalization of violence at football games (Marsh et al., 1996).

The group examined Liverpool's history in the 1960's, we discovered a city suffering huge economic depravation through the death of industry (English Premier Football League, 2001). This research led us to the unique characteristics of football hooliganism. As predicted, the literature on violent behavior offered numerous sociological and psychological theories related to aggression, more specifically related to hostile spectator aggression and crowd collective behavior. Narrowing our research focus to Liverpool Football Aggression in the 1960's, we explored social issues and criminal behavior related to football. Is football hooliganism a psychopathology (e.g., "English Disease") or sport (Hostile-Spectator Aggression)? Either way, it was a consuming passion, which was experienced first hand by most males in Liverpool. The conclusion will attempt to answer the question put forth, with an analysis and suggestion for further research on the topic.