Billie Eilish’s obliviousness shows sports stars the way in fighting back against the gatekeepers of nostalgia

American singer-songwriter has been castigated by the same people who believe ‘getting the club’ makes a manager immediately better or who feel that not knowing the sport stars of yesteryear is a sin worthy of exile

Earlier this week, American singer Billie Eilish committed the ultimate sin - not knowing a band from the Eighties.

The band in question was Van Halen. Exactly the sort of band you should pretend to know else you end up on the receiving end of one of those music lectures from people who spend more time talking about their vinyl collections than listening to it. The kind who think festivals are good and Carly Rae Jepsen is bad when, actually, they’re both just okay.

The admission from Eilish came during an interview with Jimmy Kimmel in which he quizzed the 17-year old on things he was into when he was 17, back in 1984. Naturally, middle-aged men got worked up over the words of a teenager in a wave of incredulity that makes up about 70 per cent of Twitter now.

It's hard to tell exactly where we are in the life-cycle of this story, but on Wednesday Eddie Van Halen’s son came out to defend Eilish which makes this all the more ridiculous. She was born in 2001 and, sure, knowing your history and appreciating different influences is important, but this was not an indiscretion to be noted, let alone chastised. You could argue the greater crime was how willingly her detractors were to admit they’d never heard of Eilish, a generational talent nominated for six Grammys this year.

The reason this particular story struck a chord is because if Eilish was in sport, there is absolutely no way she would have not heard of a former great within the industry. And if she hadn’t, she’d pretend otherwise. It is demanded of sports stars that they know their history and never admit to any blindspots, no matter how humanising that may be.

Incoming Liverpool managers must reference “The Boot Room”, whether the significance of the actual room itself or the great coaches who once convened within its famed walls. NFL players on the Dallas Cowboys roster must refer to them as “America’s Team”, a phrase coined by broadcaster John Facenda in 1978 which referenced the side’s recognisable uniform and players on their successful run to the Super Bowl.

For institutions whose history is not as decorated, certain matches, people and places have to be committed to memory, or simply buzz words that show an affinity for their place of work. It is why so much of modern-day media training involves a crash course in traditions, which essentially boils down to dos and don’ts.

Nottingham Forest players, for example, are drilled to not ever commit the cardinal sin of referring to them as “Notts Forest”. In cricket, England’s Test debutants are now given Simon Wilde’s The Biography: The Story of English Cricket, a bible-like run-through of events that have shaped the team and the domestic game's landscape.

Much of this - in fact, perhaps all of it - is done to appease a particular type of fan: one of a generation that often laud what sport was and cry foul of what parts of it have become. To say they are set in their ways would be unfair but, much like those who ran up on Eilish, their voices are loud, gripes often inconsequential and are generally of a certain age.

Based on a 2017 study, the average adult Premier League fan is 41. In America, the average viewer for sports such as the NFL and Major League Baseball is 50 and 57 years old respectively. That range is pretty much the sweet spot for these gatekeepers of nostalgia.

As mentioned above, their influence on their respective sports should not be understated. It is why, for example, football clubs tend towards former players as managers even if they lack the relevant experience and qualifications.

Right now in the Premier League, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (Manchester United), Freddie Ljungberg (Arsenal) and Frank Lampard (Chelsea) are in full charge of teams they served with disctinction. Late nineties/early noughties Premier League legends whose medal hauls outstrip those they are coaching now.

Former players receive a free pass from fans due to their relationship with a club (EPA)

Almost all of Solksjaer’s current players could probably recite Clive Tyldesley’s commentary of his famous injury-time winner against Bayern Munich in 1999’s Champions League final. “Freddie”, as an Invincible, is immortalised in all but bronze at the Emirates. Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount still remembers the nerves he used to feel as a youngster at the club's Cobham training ground when he’d look over to the sidelines and see Lampard watching on having just finished first-team training.

Only in the case of Lampard are things going well. And even if they weren’t, the credit in the bank is plentiful and, without it, none of those three would be in their respective positions. They know that, too, which is why Solskjaer spent so much of his start hamming up the red in his blood: constantly referring to United’s glory days and even refusing to use the manager’s designated parking spot at their Carrington training complex because “it’s still the gaffer’s place”. Sentimental, sure. But, you know, it's a parking spot, not his bed.

The Norwegian has become something of a cautionary tale for bringing in a throwback to glory days and hoping it’ll mean a return to them. “Getting the club” is a phrase often used by supporters in this regard, but it is a spurious concept. And while it is a line also peddled by owners and decision-makers when they go down the route of employing a former favourite, their underlying intention is usually to appease a mutinous fan base. After defeat against Brighton on Thursday night, a member of staff associated with Arsenal wondered if the presence of Ljungberg in the manager’s seat would mean an easier ride on the club’s unofficial mouthpiece, AFTV. It did not.

Perhaps most interesting is how the modern sportsperson is changing. A generation is coming through into a wider world where the onus is not simply on learning from mistakes of the past but forcibly trying to rectify them. Of course, this is not always a good thing and aspects of player power in certain sports hint at an over-correction. But there is a greater level of emotional intelligence and independence on the rise and plentiful examples of sportspeople ignoring the past to move forward.

Just last month, 26 year-old Adam Gemili led 20 athletes into taking legal action against the British Olympic Association over “unjust and unlawful” sponsorship rules which hamper their ability to market themselves during the Tokyo 2020 Games. The first time such legislation has been publicly challenged.

During a Lions tour to Barbados at the start of 2018, technical director Andy Flower, one of England cricket's most successful coaches, lamented the manner in which the Test side had been bowled out for 54 in their first innings of a Day-Night game against New Zealand. Upon hearing his criticism of the technique on show, one young player immediately challenged the Zimbabwean – a former No 1-ranked Test batsman – and pointed out that Flower did not know what he was talking about because he had never faced this version of the pink ball.

LeBron James has not been afraid to call out legends of the sport (Getty)

In the last few years, as NBA greats like Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley have entered the lucrative world of American punditry, a number of current stars have taken public shots at the pair who are still regarded by certain fans as untouchables. Lebron James and Javale McGree, two established NBA champions, have both had high profile bust-ups with those two hall-of-famers.

The trends suggest that as the average fan gets older, the modern athlete is getting younger. Invariably we will hit a point when they are totally at odds with one another. Even going by the way the respective groups use social media, the signs suggest we’re not too far away from it.

Only then, might someone pull a Billie Eilish and come clean about historical ignorance as they focus on creating history of their own. Especially if it’s regarding a group as thoroughly underwhelming as Van Halen.