McManus helped launch CBS Sports Network in 2008 and had a six-year stint, from 2005 to 2011, as president of both CBS Sports and CBS News. McManus retired as chairman of CBS Sports in 2024 after 28 years of running the division. He is a 22-time Emmy Award winner. McManus began his career in 1977 as a production assistant and associate producer for ABC Sports. At 27, McManus became the youngest vice president at NBC Sports. In 1987, he took the next step in his career, becoming senior vice president of U.S. television sales and programming at Trans World International (TWI), the television division of International Management Group (IMG). In 1996, McManus fulfilled his life-long dream of becoming the president of a network sports division, accepting the role at CBS Sports.