I don't think the 'dirty' stuff is new. Just that there is less BS in today's game so anything that deviates from the normal is deemed a problem.
That said, I think pro sports are overanalyzed. So the announcers are going ham on anything they can to be relevant. Add in the 10,000 online journalists now and you have a big to-do over nothing. Have to make it more sensational so people will pay attention to you...