For my part I don't think of it as an aspect of being "old school". There aren't any more guys out there today running their mouths and acting out than there were back in the day. Maybe more attention is paid to them by the fans because we get more coverage than ever before but there are still plenty of guys who go out and play quietly and professionally just like there have always been.
I just tend to prefer and have more respect for athletes that conduct themselves in a more dignified manner. Sherman is a guy who impresses me with his abilities but I turn the channel when someone jams a microphone in his face. I did that with TO, Chad Johnson, and pretty much every other "look at me" guy who has come down the road. I'm just not interested in what they have to say.
I believe there were more back in the day because the consequences weren't as strict. Dancing, celebrating, trash talking, hell raising was a part of the make up. No, of course not everyone, and probably not the majority, but individuality was respected more then than now. During the Oiler days, Earl Campbell received the utmost respect, yet Billy Whiteshoes, Kenny Stabler and other notorious teammates weren't criticized for their different approach in and to the game. Ha ha, but I do recall when Stabler retired Bud Adams said that he preferred a quarterback that didn't read his plays by the light on the jukebox. That lasted about two weeks before he found his way to the waters of Alabama to beg Stabler out of retirement. Many matured over the years and, Michal Irving, for example still shows flashes of personality, but as close as it gets to a 180 transformation. Probably today he would have been cut and blacklisted.