Zain Bando covers college football for The Sporting News as a freelance writer. He graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism.
Bando’s reporting focuses primarily on Big Ten athletics, though he has covered Illinois, Northwestern, and Kansas State programs throughout his career.
He also writes about MMA and boxing for MMA Knockout On Sports Illustrated.
Bando hosts two weekly podcasts for the Empty The Bench Podcast Network: “Bando’s Breakdowns” and “The MMA Outsiders.” Both shows stream on YouTube and release on podcast platforms on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
A Chicago suburban native, Bando holds memberships in the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA).
Since June 2019, his work has appeared across multiple publications including MSN, Yardbarker, Deadspin, FanSided, BJPenn.com, Bridge Media Network, Mike Farrell Sports, and Reuters.
When not writing, Bando watches old UFC fights, spends time with family and friends, memorizes Super Bowl details, and plans his travel destinationsālaptop always in tow.
