The term football (soccer) hooliganism is an umbrella term for describing various types of violations of public order. These occur not only during football matches, but also before and after matches, and while traveling to and from games. The most common forms of negative behavior of soccer fans include: collective fights between rival groups, throwing dangerous objects onto the pitch, attacking police forces and damage to trains, city buses and trams. The article discusses the facts and myths concerning the football (soccer) hooligan subculture in Poland and presents football hooligans - mostly young males - as a socially excluded group. The author bases his reflections on over 20 years observation of football hooligan groups in Poland and an analysis of press reports concerning Polish football hooliganism. In contrast to the prevailing view in the literature, the author points to numerous psychological benefits which result from the stigmatization and exclusion process. Marginalization does not necessarily involve a decrease in the quality of life as perceived subjectively by the individual or the group. The individual may be shielded from the perceived sense of the low quality of life that accompanies social exclusion. This occurs as a result of the creation of group bonds, following a comprehensive set of rules of conduct and adherence to the same values. The author emphasizes that it is important to understand the perception of "football reality" from the hooligans’ perspective and not solely from that of wider society.