I’m Zain Bando — a credentialed sports reporter based in Downers Grove, Illinois, covering Big Ten athletics, combat sports, and the four major leagues. I hold a Master of Science in Journalism from Northwestern’s Medill School (Sports Media specialization, ’23) and a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (’22).
Since 2019, I’ve produced reporting, columns, recaps, and SEO-driven newsdesk work for The Sporting News, On Sports Illustrated, Field Level Media, MMA Knockout, FanSided, Men’s Journal, BJPenn.com, Inside NU, and more. The work has taken me from Super Bowl LVII Media Week to UFC 319, the NCAA Tournament, the 2026 Final Four, and multiple Big Ten and bowl-game assignments.
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.
Sep 2024 — Present
Resilience Media
Lead editor and publisher across The Sporting News Big Ten football and men’s basketball verticals. Conceptualize, pitch, write, and publish 4-10 stories a day, generating 1.31 million views in 2025 while tracking performance through Chartbeat.
Oct 2025 — Present
BIGPLAY
Write 15-20 stories a month for Ohio State’s On SI channel and pitch traffic-focused angles on Ryan Day, Jeremiah Smith, Matt Patricia, Michigan, and Big Ten title storylines.
Jul 2024 — Present
Field Level Media
Recap nearly every UFC event, preview all non-Vegas pay-per-views, and contribute occasional boxing and NCAA hoops coverage across the Big Ten, Big East, SEC, and Big 12.
Oct 2023 — Present
On Sports Illustrated
Publish 30-35 monthly MMA and boxing stories, conduct fighter interviews, and cover UFC, PFL, and regional events as credentialed media. Covered Dallas Wings from July 2025 to March 2026.
Jul 2022 — Present
Empty The Bench Network
Co-host of The MMA Outsiders; host of Bando’s Breakdowns, a weekly show on college, pro, and combat sports airing Fridays at 3 PM ET.
Earlier
Various outlets
The Sporting News affiliate and commercial content, FanSided, Athlon Sports, Bridge Media Networks, Yardbarker, IlliniGuys, Men’s Journal, Mike Farrell Sports, BJPenn.com, Inside NU, Medill Reports Chicago, The Daily Illini, and NewsNet Media.
2022 – 2023
M.S. Journalism, Sports Media Specialization · 3.8 GPA
Medill School · Inside NU, MSJ Student Ambassadors, NU Wildside
2018 – 2022
B.S. Journalism, Minor in Recreation, Sport & Tourism · 3.6 GPA
WPGU’s Rollin’ Illini, BTN Student U, Fighting Illini Productions, BRSS, ISCA, DREAM @ UIUC
Medill Explores — Super Bowl LVII
Selected as one of 10 Medill Sports students to cover Super Bowl LVII Media Week in Phoenix · Nov 2022
William A. Olson Scholarship
College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois · Mar 2022
M.S. Journalism, Northwestern
Awarded September 2023 · Specialization in Sports Media
Featured by The News-Gazette & BroBible
Profiles on building a sports-journalism career while living with cerebral palsy
