Michael Huang of ESPN named The Philadelphia Inquirer’s top sports editor

Michael Huang, a New Jersey native and deputy editor at ESPN.com, will join The Philadelphia Inquirer as managing editor for sports on April 19, senior vice president and editor Gabriel Escobar announced Monday.

Huang, 50, who grew up in Parsippany, N.J., brings more than 25 years of sports media experience to The Inquirer, where he will oversee the publication’s sports coverage.

Huang replaces Pat McLoone, who left the paper in January after more than four decades in the Daily News and Inquirer newsrooms.

“Philadelphia is one of the, if not the, most passionate fan bases in the country,” Huang said. “I think that The Inquirer has done a tremendous job over the course of almost 200 years of history ... covering all of its teams. So, what I’d like to do is, under my leadership, is to come in and continue that brand of excellence — number one — but then also maybe introduce some things that can help the newspaper become one of the foremost digital platforms that Philadelphia fans can come to for their news.”

Referencing the Inquirer’s latest homepage redesign, Huang said he hopes to continue the trajectory of digital improvements. In terms of coverage, he said, the desk will continue to focus on the city’s four major teams, as well as school sports, with a larger emphasis on women’s sports.

At ESPN, Huang oversaw coverage for a partnership between ESPN and Chinese tech giant Tencent, and directed and produced content for the website’s worldwide platforms. His 24-minute documentary on NBA All-Star Stephon Marbury was the first ESPN piece filmed in China. Over the past year, he managed content and production for the NFL’s AFC and NFC North Divisions. Prior to working at ESPN, Huang spent nearly a decade with the Chicago Cubs, overseeing the club’s editorial projects and publications.

“We really are delighted to have him on staff,” Escobar said. “We’re in a digital transformation. We’ve made significant strides over the last few years and we really see Mike’s arrival as another critical step toward that goal. Our business model depends on people paying for quality journalism ... that’s where Mike’s background at ESPN will be a great asset.”

An Inquirer news release described Huang as “an active champion” of diversity and inclusion efforts at ESPN. He has also served as chairperson of the Asian American Journalist’s Sports Task Force, which has helped place AAPI sports journalists at news outlets around the country. Huang said he hopes to bring “a fair and equitable representation” to sports coverage at The Inquirer.

“We want ... to invite as many people in many different audiences to our readership as possible,” he said.

The son of Taiwanese immigrants, Huang prides himself on his work ethic, which he says he learned from his parents and watching his father work in a machine shop for 12 hours a day.

“I bring that wherever I go,” he said.

Huang is an adjunct professor teaching sports journalism courses at New York University. He earned his bachelor of arts degree in journalism from Marquette University and a master of arts in writing from DePaul University.

Philadelphia sports fans’ “passion and zeal for their teams is second-to-none,” Huang said, adding he hopes to give the city “great stories to read” and “some things to watch.”

“For Philly fans, and for Philadelphia, I’m coming down there hopefully to embrace that culture, and I hope that Philadelphia sports fans can embrace me as well.”