Zain Bando covers college football for The Sporting News. He graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism.
Bando specializes in Big Ten coverage, having reported on Illinois, Northwestern, and Kansas State athletics throughout his career.
He also covers combat sports for MMA Knockout On Sports Illustrated, focusing on mixed martial arts and boxing.
Bando hosts two weekly podcasts: “Bando’s Breakdowns” and “The MMA Outsiders.” Both shows air on YouTube and are available on podcast platforms Tuesday nights and Wednesday afternoons.
A Chicago suburban native, Bando holds memberships in the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and the 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.
