Pink's Bottom Line on Media, Money and Sports
Top albums, the global economy and an emerging NFL quarterback
It is absolutely spectacular weather in much of the northeast United States, but there are still storm clouds over the global economy. I discuss that and more in today’s newsletter.
MEDIA: Rolling Stone’s Top Albums List
Rolling Stone released a list earlier this week of what it says are the top 500 albums of all time. Marvin Gaye’s 1971 album What’s Going On topped the list. The Beach Boys 1966 album Pet Sounds finished second and Joni Mitchell’s 1971 album Blue finished third.
The most recent album to crack the top ten in these Rolling Stone rankings was Lauryn Hill’s 1998 album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, which finished tenth on the list. Among the top 500, 86 albums or 17% are from the past 20 years.
Pink's Bottom LineNo list like this one will make everyone happy, but the Rolling Stone list managed to represent a wide array or artists over a long period of time. It is definitely a list worth browsing if you haven’t already.
It also is a testament the power of the album and its equivalent in the digital music era.
MONEY: Europe’s Economy
A key gauge of economic activity in Europe shows the economies there are struggling to rebound from the negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
The IHS Markit Flash Eurozone PMI Composite Index came in at a level of 50.1, its lowest level in three months. The index stood at 51.9 in August.
(Note: This composite index is a broad measure of both manufacturing output and services business activity in 19 countries in Europe, and a reading above 50 on this index indicates improving conditions.)
Pink's Bottom LineAs the global economy attempts to make a sustained recovery, many parts of the world will undoubtedly show uneven economic performance, making it harder to get the global economy fully back on track.
While Europe overall does appear to be sputtering, there is a bright spot — there was a solid performance in the region's manufacturing sector. That, at least, is one positive sign.
SPORTS: NFL Quarterback Under the Radar
If I had to vote for an MVP in the NFL after the first two weeks, I would definitely choose Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson who is off to a monster start and who, interestingly, never received a single MVP vote in his first eight seasons in the league.
While Wilson is a phenomenal player and a surefire Hall of Famer, there’s another quarterback in his division who I believe might emerge as one of the best signal callers — along with Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes and Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson — for the next generation of quarterbacks for the next ten to fifteen years in the NFL. I’m talking about Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray.
Pink's Bottom LineMurray, who was the top draft pick in 2019, has started every game he’s played for the Cardinals in his one season plus two games with the team. That’s crucial as Murray is a smaller quarterback at 5’10”, and durability was a concern when he entered the league.
Most importantly, he is leading his team to victories in probably the toughest division in all of football.
He gets little attention, possibly because he plays in a smaller market like Phoenix but also because he plays in a division with Wilson of Seattle, Jared Goff of the Los Angeles Rams and Jimmy Garoppolo of San Francisco. Those three quarterbacks have all played in Super Bowls.
Watch Murray and the Arizona Cardinals closely this year. I think they’ll make the playoffs and surprise a lot of people.
Jeremy Pink is former CEO of private-equity backed Broadcast Sports International where he led the company to a successful sale and exit during his tenure there. He is also a former CNBC executive in New York, London and Singapore. He currently serves as an advisor to companies in media, technology, sports and financial tech.
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