I'm right there with you.
In the NFL, it used to be that players would stay with teams for several years, many finishing their careers with the team that drafted them. When FA was brought in, only a few players each year would jump teams. Cowboys fans may remember TE Jackie Smith whom we got from the Cardinals. It was one of the few times the Cowboys went into free agency for a player.
So the players became intimate with the city and the fans because he would see them year after year.
Today, we have hired guns and the NFL is a travel agent. Very limited loyalty. Very little time to get to know the player.