were a point behind Richard’s team in the standings. A crowd of nearly 800 protestors had already gathered around the Forum by game time. Due to these manifestations, extra police forces were called to the scene. Officials pleaded with Campbell, asking him not to appear at the game. He ignored them and quietly made his way to his seat. The fans noticed him and threw peanuts, eggs and programs at him. They calmed down during the first period, but at its end, with a score of 4-1 for Detroit, the crowd once again became wild. They began pelting Campbell with overshoes, bottles and tomatoes. The police tried to protect him, but one fan broke through the barrier and hit him. Another fan threw a smoke bomb near him, leading to panic and to the exit of the crowds into the streets. This started the riot that would become headline news and would result in the forfeiture of the game in favor of the Red Wings (1976).This riot is a prime example of collective behavior as explained by Neil Smelser. Collective behavior is defined as a “relatively spontaneous, unorganized, and unpredictable social behavior” (Thio, p.536). This riot is a clumsy and primitive reaction to a matter that is seen as simple by the participants (1998). According to Smelser, combining six factors that must occur in a certain sequence generates collective behavior (1998). These factors are, in the order that must be followed, structural conduciveness, social strain, the growth and spread of a generalized belief, a precipitating factor, the mobilization of participants for action and inadequate social control.The first factor, structural conduciveness, concerns the social organization that leads to a collective action or behavior. There must be some condition that exists in order for people to come together and communicate. This condition is essential because people must be assembled for this action to occur (Thio, 1998). In the case of the Ma...
