The big news in sports television on Tuesday was the announcement that CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus would be retiring in 2024. McManus is ready to hand the reins over to a worthy successor in David Berson.
A lot can change in two years, and a Sports Business Journal article about the retirement announcement mentioned that at that time McManus couldn’t see himself doing anything else.
Now everything has aligned, and the path is clear for McManus to bow out at CBS.
“The timing is right for me personally and professionally, and the timing is right for the division,” McManus told John Ourand. “There’s nothing magic about this year as opposed to next year. I just felt it was the right time to do it.”
When McManus leaves, Berson will take over. The two have worked together since 2011. Sean said it just made the most sense.
“People talk about succession planning being important, but this is just a textbook example of succession planning at its best,” McManus said. “David’s ready. I’m ready. And the entire division is ready. So CBS will move forward.”
Berson expressed nothing but gratitude towards McManus for all he’s done to push CBS Sports and sports television in general forward.
“There are a few people, if any, that have had as much impact on the sports media landscape as Sean,” Berson said. “The folks here at CBS Sports are lucky and fortunate to be able to learn from Sean and be part of this incredible team.”
