Is there any room left for characters in sport?

Shane Warne, Image: Jenny Evans, AAP

Sport has always had stars to draw crowds to its venues. I am not talking about celebrities who sit along courtside at American basketball games, but the players of the sports themselves.

It does not matter the code, the division or even the venue, all sports have their stars, and wherever they are, the crowds follow accordingly.

In boxing, Muhammad Ali captivated crowds by not only his prowess in the ring, but through his outspoken nature that saw him publically declare his refusal to be inducted into the US air force due to his conflict with the Vietnam War and his religious beliefs.

In football, though not a player, it is difficult to overlook the always forthright José Maurinho.

Previously the manager of Chelsea in the English Premier League and current manager of Real Madrid in La Liga, the self-proclaimed “Special One” has never been shy about his coaching ability and his somewhat eccentric behaviour on game day keeps many a supporters watching him almost as keenly as the players on the pitch.

Even the Australian cricket team had its fair share of protagonists and antagonists during an era of dominance which saw the likes of Gilchrist, Waugh, Symonds and the ever controversial Shane Warne.

Closer to home, in the AFL, there are spectacle players, but are they are a dying breed?

In the mid-sixties to early eighties, Kevin Bartlett personified Richmond. Tony Lockett pulled crowds when he scored 127 goals in 17 games at his time at St Kilda.

And before his off-field troubles, seven time All Australian Wayne Carey was one of the greatest players the league, let alone North Melbourne, had ever seen.

But in the game today, players are more heavily scrutinised than they have ever been. Every move they make off the field is being as closely monitored as those they make on it.

Coaches and players alike face a fine or other form of punishment when they voice their opinion and some, particularly younger players such as Richmond forward Jack Reiwoldt, now even have “media bans” imposed on them by their club.

Such is the growing important role of the media in sport that many clubs in the AFL are now offering their players media coaching in the hope of avoiding any potential embarrassment for the club and its sponsors.

This growing emphasis on player behaviour outside of the game is taking away the next generation of supporters’ stars, and it’s those that send the flocks of supporters week in, week out to pack our stadiums.