Are the Lawrence Welk References Still Resonating?

The New York Jets won a football game yesterday, which is detrimental to their ultimate goal of drafting Clemson's Trevor Lawrence first overall. This was upsetting to supporters of Gang Green, many who simply cannot accept that professional athletes are competitive and get sick of being embarrassed. But this blog isn't about judging fans for their fandom.

It's about Lawrence Welk, a man The New York Times called a "TV maestro of champagne music" in his 1992 obituary. An entertainer who rose to prominence in a time when bandleaders and variety shows held so much entertainment capital. Someone who was able to front a television show for 29 years, truly a pillar of consistency capable of speaking to audiences on a myriad of levels.

Why the sudden interest in Welk, whose last first-run syndicated broadcast aired in 1982? A punny headline from the New York Post.

One that made air during the Sunday Night Football broadcast. Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth absolutely loved it.

And look, it's a good one. Lawrence? Welp. These are the things the copy desk dreams of cooking up hours or minutes before deadline. A solid cover is essential in NYC, the city so tabloid-friendly it still supports two. "A won and a boo-hoo" is deep work.

But here's the question: Does Welk still resonate with the masses? I am 36, an oldish soul, and my only frame of reference is Fred Armisen playing him in an Saturday Night Live sketch. Logically, a newspaper audience is going to skew a little older as the kids are all getting their news online these days. So I've heard.

If Welk is still connecting, though, that's big news. News we can use. That would mean a Mamie Van Doren or Art Linkletter headline allusion would be worth the SEO hit.

Stay tuned. We could look back at today as the day the sports and pop culture pool changed. The Welk Ripple Effect could be afoot.