Over the last 20 years there has been a seismic change in the way sports are played and athletes are trained. Sports science, a variety of rule changes and technological advancements have made many aspects of different sports obsolete. In other cases, fashion simply dictated that something athletes used to wear was no longer appropriate. We have dug through the archives to bring you 10 things you just don't see in sport anymore.
1. Baggy Jerseys
Remember the days when you could easily pull your opposite number to the ground by the jersey? The days when you could tell a player's age by how much his jersey sagged? Those days are long gone now as players bulk up and management want tight jerseys to ensure they are impossible to get ahold of. Just look at Brian O'Driscoll's jersey falling off him. Get that man a t-bone steak and a pint of milk.
The sea change to tight jerseys in rugby was started by the England rugby team but Armagh got the blame for it in gaelic football. This was just another example of the dastardly planning undertaken by Northern teams in the early 00's.
2. Hand passing the ball to the net
Go back and watch highlights of gaelic football matches in the 70's and 80's and you will see something that looks really out of place. No it's not the bad facial hair, short shorts or big hairstyles; it is people hand passing the ball into the net. Hand passing was used as an easy way to score a close range goal when the keeper was up in your face and nobody used it to their advantage like Mick O'Dwyer's Kerry teams.
Take a look at this video of great Kerry goals from that era. Around two thirds of them would be illegal in today's game. In my very untrustworthy mathematical estimation that means Kerry should only have won a third of the All Irelands they did in that period, leaving Micko's teams with 3 rather than 8 Sam Maguires. I expect GAA HQ to make the adjustments in due course.
Nobody benefited more from this hand passing loophole than the Bomber Liston. Liston did more illegal poaching during his career than most ivory dealers do in a lifetime. I am lobbying that he be stripped of the four all stars he won during his career and that they be distributed between Jimmy Keaveney and Matt Connor.
3. The era of the glorious moustache
Much like Liverpool, moustaches were really more popular and successful in the 70's and 80's. The era of the moustache seemed to die when perhaps its greatest proponent, Graeme Souness, began to run the club into the ground. The moustache had a bit more staying power in the GAA where Wexford rode the glorious upper lip fuzz of Martin Storey and George O'Connor to All Ireland glory in 1996.
When it comes to rugby, one man's moustache fluttered in the wind more prevalently than any other. Donal Lenihan's moustache is more famous than Donal Lenihan and with good reason. Donal may have changed over the last 20 years, but his moustache is as crisp as ever.
Today's Irish sportsman isn't interested in the time, dedication and will power to takes to sculpt a moustache; they are only interested in a quick fix. Keith Fahey received great plaudits for his ability to grow such an impressive movember moustache and he lapped up the adulation. It later turned out he had cheated. Look at this tache with a mixture of awe and disgust.
One thing that I'm sure no fan misses is when players shorts barely went down as far as their mid-thigh. You watched games on the edge of your seat always wary that you were one ill-timed tackle away from a grotesque wardrobe malfunction. Everyone in Ireland loved Jack Charlton's Irish team even with the caveat that we only enjoyed watching them from the waist up.
Rugby is one sport where you definitely don't want to be wearing short shorts like Ollie Campbell is here. Having said that, look at the size of those glutes.
Continental Europe was arguably the worst culprit for risqué short length but Kevin Keegan was never one to turn down a skimpy outfit either.
5. The backpass
The back pass was allowed until 1992 and the rule to prohibit it severely hampered Jack Charlton's Ireland in the years going forward leading to his eventual resignation. Is it a coincidence that our best finish at a World Cup came when negative back passing was at an all time high? Let's hope so.
6. Flatcaps in hurling
Nobody had more looks than Christy Ring. You had young Christy with hair, you had old balding Christy and you had bloody and bandaged Christy. But the best look of all was casual flatcap Christy. Besides being one of the most skillful hurlers ever Christy also had a preternatural grasp of on field fashion. We may never see the likes of him again.
7. Diving scrum-half passes
Before the professional era demanded that rugby players keep themselves in shape and required them to constantly hone their skills, a dive pass was a key weapon in the arsenal of a scrum-half. Players just weren't able to pass the ball long distances from the base of the ruck as easily, especially off their bad hand. If you want to see how scrum-halves could get away with not doing the dive pass, watch Gareth Edwards at 2.10 in this video.
8. Not lifting in the lineout
When there was no lifting and before the technicalities of lift counts and lineout calls, the lineout used to be an absolute free for all. Usually the second row who's ball it was would try to contest while the opposition would try to land a clean strike to his opponents face. A lineout generally resulted in a brief and madcap scramble for possession until the scrumhalf could wrestle the ball away. Don't believe me? Check out this lineout from Ireland vs England in 1951.
9. The death of the sheepskin coat
Sheepskin coats used to be a regular fixture in the wardrobe of a professional footballer. Unfortunately it is now all about skinny leather jackets. But style be damned, John Giles will wear whatever coats he feels like.
And it would be wildly remiss to talk about the demise of the sheepskin coat without mentioning the man who has tirelessly supported it every day of his working life.
Unfortunately commentators today have gone for the flasher option. RTE's own Daire O'Brien went for a Big Pimpin fur coat over the sheepskin option.
Sports Stadium was the staple of many an Irish sports fans Saturday afternoon until the mid-90s.
It featured everything from tog o'war
to Premier League football.
And of course this was the theme music.
It was pretty much the Irish version of Grandstand.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpRYODXfP_8
Now we've got Jeff Stelling instead.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWsAiGVtPL0
