On Tuesday, CBS Sports announced chairman Sean McManus would be retiring from the company after 27 years in April of 2024.
McManus will be succeeded by David Berson, the president of CBS Sports for the last decade, as the president and CEO of CBS Sports.
In the CBS release, McManus and Berson discussed the retirement and succession plan.
“Leading CBS Sports has been an honor and I have been so fortunate to work with the most talented team in sports media, along with our incredible partners, for nearly three decades. It has been a fantastic run and the thrill of a lifetime,” said McManus. “I am pleased to leave CBS Sports in an even stronger place than when I arrived, knowing that all of our marquee properties are locked up through this decade and beyond. The future at CBS Sports is in the extremely capable hands of David Berson, who will seamlessly succeed me, as we planned. He is an outstanding leader and strategist, with knowledge and experience across all facets of the business, and has established excellent relationships with our partners and across our team.”
“It has been the privilege of my career to have a front-row seat and work alongside Sean for the past 13 years,” said Berson. “He is the ultimate leader, mentor and friend. I look forward to carrying on the high standards he established, which help define CBS Sports. It is a genuine honor to lead our incomparable CBS Sports team and continue working closely with our world-class partners.”
McManus joined CBS Sports way back in 1996 and helped bring the NFL back to the network in 1998. He was also in charge when CBS signed rights deals with the NCAA, Big Ten, SEC, PGA, PGA Tour, the Masters, and UEFA.
Berson has been with CBS Sports since 2011, rising to the role of president in June 2013.
This seems like it’ll be a pretty smooth transition, given that McManus isn’t leaving for another six-plus months and that his replacement, Berson, has been with the company for more than a decade in a high-level role. We’ve seen leadership crises at sports networks in the past when an executive surprisingly departs, but that it doesn’t seem like that will be the case at CBS Sports.
[CBS Sports, image via CBS Sports]
About Joe Lucia
I hate your favorite team. I also sort of hate most of my favorite teams.