Bylines at The Sporting News, On Sports Illustrated, Field Level Media, MMA Knockout, and Men’s Journal. Credentialed coverage across NCAA and UFC events, from Super Bowl LVII Media Week to the 2026 Final Four.
As Published In
From cage-side at UFC 319 to courtside at the 2026 Final Four, the work crosses leagues but holds a single thread — treating athletes as people first, then as the story.
Post-fight fallout, weekday columns, and on-site coverage of UFC, Bellator, PFL and regional cards. Credentialed since December 2023.
Lead editor and publisher across Big Ten football and men’s basketball verticals at The Sporting News under Resilience Media.
Newsdesk and feature work across the major leagues, including Cleveland Browns and Ohio State coverage for BIGPLAY’s On SI channels.
“My approach to journalism is person-first. The story matters, but the human in the middle of it matters more — how they got here, what they carry, what they’re still chasing.”
Zain Bando · Northwestern Medill, MSJ ’23
A late-May look at Ohio State’s playoff path, national perception, and the schedule pressure waiting for Ryan Day’s Buckeyes.
A utility-driven schedule piece giving Buckeyes readers the early broadcast windows and timing details they need before fall.
Early market lines frame two must-win regular-season checkpoints for a Buckeyes team chasing playoff seeding and a Big Ten title.
A fight-news follow-up on the Chimaev-Strickland rivalry and how the middleweight title picture could shift over the next six months.
Showing up matters. The work has taken me from Super Bowl Media Week in Phoenix to fight night in Chicago.
UFC 319
United Center, Chicago · On-site, credentialed
NCAA Final Four
Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis · Credentialed coverage
Big Ten MBB Championship
Credentialed tournament coverage
Cheez-It Citrus Bowl
Orlando, FL · On-site, credentialed
Music City Bowl
Nashville, TN · On-site, credentialed
2023 ReliaQuest Bowl
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa
Super Bowl LVII Media Week
Phoenix, AZ · Medill Explores cohort
Open to features, interviews, on-site coverage, columns, and editorial partnerships across combat sports, college athletics, and the four major leagues.
