What’s happened to all the larrikins in sport? Have you seen their schedules lately? They seem to be too busy to have fun … It’s not like the good old days.

At the risk of basking in a reflective glow of the good old days, the daggy and gloriously imperfect 1970s and ’80s saw sport imitate life in a way like never before, and too rarely since. As an improvised theatre, we enjoyed a warts-and-all smorgasbord of macho boorishness, tantrums and farce that would have today’s administrators in a flap. Winning was still important, but there was also a sense of playfulness and licence to express joy and frustration with impulsive abandon.

From Connors and Nastase to Andre and Goran at the end of the line, the possibility of what these gregarious players might do kept tennis fans glued. What now sends crowds into titters would render Kingswood Country a comedy classic by comparison. McEnroe may have been “superbrat”, but he was a one-off. A guilty pleasure, his best lines are as oft quoted as Seinfeld – and who can forget the backhand he gave that drinks tray? Locally, the Victorian Football League boasted Capper, BT and Jacko among a Ben Hur cast of unhinged vaudeville acts, while King Wally ruled rugby league. The Shark stalked the fairways with a magnetic power and the likes of Newton and Shearer knew how to have a good time. Beefy Botham, Imran Khan and the Master Blaster, Viv Richards, exuded a presence to match their talent in a golden era where calypso cricket reigned supreme. Derek Randall played the eccentric loon and, not to be outdone, Pascoe, Walker, Hookes, Chappelli and co’s idiosyncrasies inspired an unofficial national anthem.

These are just a few of the healthy array of sports heroes and villains who ensured even the most lop-sided contest threatened to entertain at some level.

Much as Lillee and Marsh’s departures did 25 years ago, Warnie has left a gaping hole for cricket’s marketers to fill. His brilliance and fallibility provided the perfect yin and yang. That the admen are still dragging out Boonie, Merv, Lillee and Thommo highlights the affinity people had with our stars of yesteryear and their enormous impact beyond their cricketing skills. Alas, we now have Merv giving us a serve about behaving ourselves at the cricket.

What qualifies as a sporting character these days? John Daly stands out among a mundane field, but more so as a cautionary tale. Hewitt, Mundine and Akermanis are latter day extrovert champions of free speech, but their abrasive and divisive capacities are no laughing matter and do little to win friends or further their cause. Tattoos, piercings and outrageous haircut trends make statements, but we’re just not sure what they are. Athletes as eye candy are also a phenomenon and in concert with polished media skills; they move product, but are averse to saying anything of any consequence.

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