Media stalwart leaves a sterling reputation in sports and beyond

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Sean McManus is going out on top, retiring from CBS Sports after a nearly 28-year tenure leading the company. In the final days of his stellar career, colleagues and peers are quick to heap praise on the character, integrity and dealmaking that made him one of the most influential people in sports.

“He’s truly a legend. Very few people, if any, have ever had as much impact on the sports media industry,” said David Berson, who will succeed McManus as CBS Sports president and CEO. McManus hired Berson 13 years ago.

“As a person, you won’t find someone better,” added Berson. “The epitome of class; I don’t think you’ll find anyone more respected in our industry. While business results are well-known, the culture he created and the way he handles himself and the way our team works together are really a testament to Sean. He’s a true mentor, a great friend. When he first hired me, I was thrilled because he has such a great reputation, not just for what he’s done here, but as a person.”

From the start of his CBS tenure, McManus made his presence known. One of his first deals brought NFL rights back to CBS after the league had been dark on the network for four years.

“It’s not lost on anybody that CBS Sports partnerships have one thing in common, which is the duration,” said Brian Rolapp, chief media and business officer at the NFL. “They’re the NFL’s longest-tenured partner. They had one hiccup that Sean fixed when he first got there. If you think about the changes in the actual industry over that period of time, that’s a hard thing to do. But Sean was able to manage those relationships for the long term.”

McManus describes the deal that brought the NFL back as one of the most pivotal in his career.

“It was very tough, not just for the sports division, but for the entire network, to not have the most valuable programming in all of television,” he said. “Bringing that back when the odds were in many ways stacked against us is probably the most significant development I’ve worked on at CBS Sports.”

Other deals under McManus’ tenure range from the Masters and March Madness to head-turning agreements with the SEC and Big Ten.

“He’s a very trusted confidant on top of being just a great partner. I’ve learned quite a bit from just watching how he operates as an executive who develops and maintains relationships at the highest level in the business,” said Dan Gavitt, vice president of men’s basketball at the NCAA. “His leadership has certainly been transformational for the NCAA Division I men’s basketball championship over 27 years.”

For Gavitt, a few pillars stand out for McManus’ leadership around the men’s championship, including the move to partner with Turner Sports on March Madness and taking all games fully national.

“[It] may have been the most impactful media development in the history of the men’s basketball championship,” Gavitt said. “To have two rival sports media companies partner, share resources around production, talent, sales, programming, and put on this incredible American iconic event was very unique, borne out to be highly successful, but there was some risk involved with that.”

As a negotiator, nearly every partner described McManus as tough but fair, looking out for CBS’s interests but always looking for the best deal for all parties involved.

“There’s no bullshit with Sean. I learned a lot of my style from Sean,” said Daniel Cohen, executive vice president of global media rights consulting at Octagon. “I’ve never worked with Sean where it’s back and forth and there’s a hidden agenda and there’s a gotcha moment. That’s not the case.”

At the NFL, Rolapp recalls one instance when a singular sticking point held up a rights deal from being struck with CBS, which he described as becoming “a bit contentious.” Rolapp said McManus pulled him aside and said, “I’m going to trust you on it. It’s going to go your way. Because of my relationship with you, with the NFL, I’m going to choose to trust you on it.”

Added Rolapp: “When he put his trust in me, it’s very easy for me to put my trust in him. That’s based on who Sean is and his ability to see the bigger picture. In a lot of circles, that’s perceived as being weak. I think it’s the opposite. I think you’ve created a bond and a business point of partnership that is stronger than any piece of paper.”

Jon Miller, president of acquisitions and partnerships at NBC Sports, had part of his career overlap with McManus in the 1980s, when Miller was in the NBC sales department and McManus ran programming.

“He was smart, fair and honest, incredibly creative,” Miller said. “He had developed great relationships with all our partners at the time, whether it’s Major League Baseball, the NFL, Wimbledon, the French Open, Olympics, bowl games we were doing. He had really set the table very nicely for me to come in and take his spot.

“The thing that everybody takes away from Sean is the way he treats everybody. He is as honest and fair and respectful as you could expect any executive to be. He is collaborative and delegates incredibly well; he rarely ever takes credit. I can understand why the people who’ve worked for him all these years at CBS remain so fiercely loyal and supportive of him.”

Miller eventually took over for McManus as head of programming at NBC Sports — news that McManus delivered to him in 1987, leading up to the Orange Bowl. At the Miami Beach Golf Club, Miller arrived early to the locker room, set to play a round, only to run into Joe DiMaggio drinking black coffee and smoking a cigarette.

“It’s one of those surreal moments that you have in your life that you look around the room; it’s me, Joe and Sean, and we’re thinking to ourselves, ‘What are we doing here?’” said Miller. “While we played, Sean says to me, ‘I’m going to be leaving NBC, and I would like to recommend you to take my spot.’ I think about it to this day.”

After McManus headed to IMG in 1987, he and Miller stayed in close contact and ended up doing multiple programming deals together, including Wimbledon, track and field, and golf’s PNC Championship.

“There’s a reason why CBS is as strong and successful as they are, there’s a reason why the NCAA Tournament has continued to grow and prosper, there’s a reason why the Masters is one of the singular events in all of television,” Miller said. “Quite honestly, there’s a reason why the SEC achieved the prominence that it did under Sean’s watch. I can’t point to anything that he hasn’t touched and done a great job with.”

Sean McManus hired David Berson (left) 13 years ago; now Berson has succeeded him as the head of CBS Sports.getty images

Father’s footsteps

McManus followed his famous father, Jim McKay (longtime host of “ABC’s Wide World of Sports”), into the industry in 1977, joining ABC Sports as a production assistant and associate producer. The legacy executive quickly rose through the ranks, with leadership roles spanning decades across ABC, NBC, IMG and CBS.

“It really started with my father, who taught me so much about storytelling and how to conduct yourself, and the fact that your word is your bond,” McManus said.

McManus cites a plethora of people qho served as mentors and friends over the years, including ABC Sports producers Roone Arledge and Chuck Howard; NBC’s Geoffrey Mason; Don Ohlmeyer (“probably the best-ever producer in sports television after Arledge,” said McManus); IMG founder Mark McCormack, “who really started the sports marketing industry”; Barry Frank; and CBS’s Peter Lund, who hired him.

McManus ended his full-time career at his final Masters tournament this month, an event his father called for CBS from 1957-60.

“The Masters means an awful lot to Sean, including that as a young kid his father worked on this tournament,” said Berson. “We went through an incredible record-breaking Super Bowl, had a fantastic Final Four, and now an event that means so much to him, and it’s so nice to see him go out on his own terms at a place that means so much to him.”

McManus said his father showed him the importance of family. That’s why, in retirement, he’s most looking forward to spending time with his wife and children.

“I’ve seen Sean at his happiest, because it’s the time I’m happiest, and it’s when our sons play together in a father-son golf tournament,” said Miller. “It’s just really a special weekend and that’s when he’s at his happiest and his best when he is with (son) Jackson, Maggie, his daughter, when he’s with Tracy, and I think he got that from his dad.”

A young McManus watches father Jim McKay at work.Courtesy of CBS Sports

Moving on

McManus and Berson began planning for the retirement nearly two years ago, though the news did not become public until last fall.

“I’m excited for my retirement, excited for CBS Sports,” McManus said. “David will do an amazing job. The team is, I think, the best in the business, and I think very bright days are ahead for CBS Sports.”

McManus doesn’t plan to disappear from the public eye, noting he will engage in multiple civic opportunities. He’s been involved for many years with the annual March of Dimes luncheon in New York, most recently as chairman.

“I would like to be on one or two boards of public companies,” he said. “I would like to do some speaking maybe once or twice a month. I’m certainly going to do some nonprofit work, and I’ve got some pretty good leads on what that might be. I’m going to enjoy some leisure time, play a lot of golf, and spend time with my wife, Tracy, and kids, Jackson and Maggie.”

As the industry continues to move through pivotal shifts, including upcoming rights deals, new entrants including Apple and Amazon, and a shifting RSN model, McManus still believes in the importance of linear and broadcast television.

“Most of the top-tier events in sports are going to remain on broadcast or linear cable. I’ll include ESPN in that,” said McManus. “We need to figure out a way to reach fans wherever they are. Sports will remain and become increasingly more important — it’s really what’s holding the traditional pay-TV bundle together, and I think it’s going to be even more valuable a year from now and five years from now.”

But for now, McManus is ready to pass the torch.

“To be able to do the Super Bowl, March Madness and end at the Masters is a pretty cool way to finish my career at CBS. I’m really proud of everything we’ve been able to accomplish at CBS Sports,” McManus said. “But maybe what I’m most proud of is the team we’ve put together and how we all like each other, we all root for each other. That’s what I’m going to miss the most — the people, the team here and the camaraderie we have here. To be able to make your living presenting some of the greatest sporting events in the world … how can you not love a job like this?

“When they say ‘What are you going to be doing when you retire?’ Well, I’ll be rooting for David [Berson] and CBS Sports. I’ll be their No. 1 fan.”