ZB Sports Media is an independent, founder-led digital sports media outlet dedicated to deadline-ready reporting, press-box event coverage, and multimedia analysis. We operate across three primary lanes: combat sports (MMA & boxing), Big Ten athletics, and the four major professional leagues.
In an era of rapid syndication and content farms, ZB Sports Media is committed to origination: credentialed in-building presence, direct athlete and coach interviews, and principled, AP-style reporting that editors and readers can rely on.
Fast Facts
Big Ten Football Media Days · Credentialed Reporting
Northwestern Medill MSJ '23 · Illinois BS Journalism '22
Zain Bando is a credentialed sports reporter and the founder of ZB Sports Media. Over seven years of active sports journalism, he has covered everything from Super Bowl LVII Media Week to UFC 319 in Chicago and the 2026 NCAA Final Four in Indianapolis.
He earned his Master of Science in Journalism with a Sports Media Specialization from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism (3.8 GPA) and his Bachelor of Science in Journalism from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (3.6 GPA).
His reporting appears regularly across The Sporting News, On Sports Illustrated, Field Level Media, MMA Knockout, and Men’s Journal.
I treat every subject as a person before a stat line. The fight, the box score, the bracket — those are the surface. The story underneath is always human: the work nobody watched, the doubt that didn’t make the broadcast, the hour after the camera left.
That orientation isn’t abstract for me. I’ve lived with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy my whole life. Sports opened doors I couldn’t walk through, and they taught me how to listen for the part of a story that doesn’t shout. I bring that into every interview.
The result is reporting that’s sourced, fast, and steady — AP-style ready, accountable to editors, and built to land on deadline.
Editorial roles, publishing beats, and national sports newsdesk assignments.
1.31M
Views in 2025
4–10
Stories / Day
30–35
MMA / Month
100+
Broadcasts
Sep 2024 — Present
Resilience Media / The Sporting News
Lead editor and publisher across The Sporting News Big Ten football and men’s basketball verticals. Pitched, reported, and published 4–10 stories daily, driving 1.31 million page views in 2025 while monitoring real-time audience analytics via Chartbeat.
Oct 2025 — Present
BIGPLAY
Publish 15–20 stories monthly for Ohio State’s On SI channel, delivering fast-turnaround analysis on Ryan Day, recruiting, matchup breakdowns, and Big Ten championship implications.
Jul 2024 — Present
Field Level Media
Recap nearly every UFC pay-per-view and Fight Night card, preview major combat events, and report on high-stakes NCAA basketball across the Big Ten, Big East, SEC, and Big 12.
Oct 2023 — Present
On Sports Illustrated
Publish 30–35 monthly combat-sports features, conduct exclusive 1-on-1 fighter and executive interviews, and cover UFC, PFL, and regional events from the arena press row. Covered the Dallas Wings from July 2025 to March 2026.
Jul 2022 — Present
Empty The Bench Network
Host of Bando’s Breakdowns, a weekly solo sports broadcast; co-host of The MMA Outsiders (100-episode combat-sports audio archive).
2019 — 2023
FanSided, Athlon Sports & Regional Outlets
Earlier contributions across FanSided (Writing Illini), Athlon Sports, SB Nation’s Inside NU, Medill Reports Chicago, The Daily Illini, and BJPenn.com.
2022 – 2023
M.S. Journalism, Sports Media Specialization · 3.8 GPA
Medill School of Journalism · Inside NU, MSJ Student Ambassadors
2018 – 2022
B.S. Journalism, Minor in Recreation, Sport & Tourism · 3.6 GPA
BTN Student U, Fighting Illini Productions, WPGU’s Rollin’ Illini
Medill Explores — Super Bowl LVII Media Week
Selected as one of 10 Medill Sports students to cover Super Bowl LVII Media Week in Phoenix · 2023
William A. Olson Scholarship
Awarded by the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois · 2022
Featured by The News-Gazette & BroBible
Published newsroom features on building a sports journalism career while living with cerebral palsy
Professional Member
Credentialed Member
Active Member
Alumni Network
Life Member
Official Voter (through 2023)
Whether you are commissioning reporting, booking podcast commentary, or exploring an ongoing partnership, let’s start a conversation.
