Justin Bieber references: Just don't do it

[Versatile]

Am I alone in feeling that sports writers probably should avoid references to current teenie bopper singers, being that even if they've heard the music of said artist (Jonas Brothers, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, etc.), their audience probably hasn't?

Wright Thompson is one of my favorite authors going, and his feature on Zenyatta was otherwise very good, but this tripped me up a bit:

(Context: he's describing trainer John Shirreffs)

He loves that contradiction, even sees some of himself in it, a man who loves nature and technology, who has a photo of Zenyatta on the back of his iPad. My point being, he's not prone to flights of fancy. He's not someone who falsettos after seeing Justin Bieber, and even he turns into a starstruck teenager over his horse. "I'm just amazed at how pretty she is," he says. "Her skin just glows. It amazes me how Zenyatta always adds something positive to the day." He sounds short on intellect and long on emotion. He's a man in love.

It comes across as a cheap way to attempt to seem "hip" or something, but what it actually does is alienates readers who don't know anything about or care to know anything about Justin Bieber, even if only for part of a sentence.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I don't disagree.

 

[clintrichardson]

it especially stands out in a story about horse racing, which has one of the oldest fan bases of any sport.

 

[imjustagirl]

It ties into the starstruck teenager line. What did you want him to say? "He doesn't go falsetto after seeing David Cassidy?"

 

[Azrael]

In 1944 he could have said Frank Sinatra.

In 1954, Elvis.

In 1964, the Beatles.

Etc., etc., etc.

He's conveying the notion of mindless adulation. The squealing, unthinking bobby soxer. He's saying that the trainer isn't some shrill, hysterical, over-the-top enthusiast. Except about the horse.

Nothing wrong with pop culture references that make their point.

 

[RecoveringDesker]

Sorry, but pop culture references that make their point only make their point to those who understand them. To the rest of us, they're just juvenile and stupid -- kind of like Justin Bieber (who my 10-year-old daughter said is "kind of a big, ugly doofus").

 

[Ace]

Sorry, but pop culture references that make their point only make their point to those who understand them. To the rest of us, they're just juvenile and stupid -- kind of like Justin Bieber (who my 10-year-old daughter said is "kind of a big, ugly doofus").

Justin Bieber is not a big, ugly doofus. Why, he's not even very big!

 

[dkphxf]

Sorry, but pop culture references that make their point only make their point to those who understand them. To the rest of us, they're just juvenile and stupid -- kind of like Justin Bieber (who my 10-year-old daughter said is "kind of a big, ugly doofus").

Which is why pop culture references work best when using things people have heard of. Even your 10-year-old daughter can understand that reference.

 

[Shaggy]

While they're at it, they should all get off your lawns.

 

[jlee]

I'm 26 and have never heard a Justin Bieber song beyond hearing 30 seconds of one while finding it to use as a joke on this site, which ain't exactly populated by the up-and-comers of pop culture (myself included).

That background provided, I got the reference and read right through it without skipping a beat. It's not a great line, by any means, but it didn't distract me from a wonderful story.

 

[shockey]

justin who? ??? ??? ???

 

[Twoback]

I don't disagree.

I remember once a long time ago messing with the idea of dropping in a reference to Guns N' Roses "Use Your Illusion" album coming out.
Then I thought about my father-in-law reading the paper and having absolutely no idea what I meant.
Took it out.
Trying too hard to seem hip is usually a bad idea.

 

[Double J]

Anybody else think of this when they saw the thread title?

"And don't go home. And don't go to eat. And don't play with yourself; it wouldn't look nice on my highway. Oh, you can think about it......but don't do it."

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I remember in 2000, whatever the first year Survivor came out and I was talking to a copy editor at my paper who said, "I'm happy to tell you you're not on the list."

I said, "What the hell are you talking about?"

He told me they were keeping tabs on how many people used a "got voted off the island" or some Survivor reference in copy during the time the show was on. To be fair, this was when the show was the most popular show on TV. But we had one sports writer who made five references to it during a two month span and seven other writers had used it at least once.

I've used pop culture references before. Hell, I've used a Zeppelin lyric as a lede that made it past a very strict desk.

 

[TrooperBari]

I've used pop culture references before. Hell, I've used a Zeppelin lyric as a lede that made it past a very strict desk.

It wasn't "Stairway to Heaven," was it?

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I've used pop culture references before. Hell, I've used a Zeppelin lyric as a lede that made it past a very strict desk.

It wasn't "Stairway to Heaven," was it?

It was Dazed and Confused.

 

[TrooperBari]

I've used pop culture references before. Hell, I've used a Zeppelin lyric as a lede that made it past a very strict desk.

It wasn't "Stairway to Heaven," was it?

It was Dazed and Confused.

Ah. I try to stay away from pop culture references, though I do recall working in "Dancing in the Dark" when the gym lights failed in the middle of a volleyball match.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

My lede was (this was a story about Steve Young's concussion issue) where he was disputing that it would prevent him from playing again (it did) and there were all these reports that the Niners were going to cut him.

Steve Young has been dazed and confused for so long it's not true.

 

[Point of Order]

justin who? ??? ??? ???

You ARE the weakest link. Goodbye.

 

[kingcreole]

I've used pop culture references before. Hell, I've used a Zeppelin lyric as a lede that made it past a very strict desk.

It wasn't "Stairway to Heaven," was it?