On Thursday, white smoke arose from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney in Vatican Metropolis, confirming the Roman Catholic Church had elected a brand new pope.
Quickly after, Robert Prevost emerged on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, taking the title Pope Leo XIV. The 69-year-old Chicago native is the primary American pope.
A pope looks like he would haven’t any connections to the sports activities world, however that is not the case with Prevost. With that in thoughts, listed here are three:
He is a fan of a widely known baseball crew
Prevost grew up on the South Aspect of Chicago, house to the Chicago White Sox. In line with his brother, John, the brand new pontiff is certainly a fan of the South Siders, contradicting an earlier report.
“He was all the time a Sox fan,” John told Chicago’s WGN. “He was by no means, ever a Cubs fan. So I don’t know the place that got here from.”
The White Sox devoted have been struggling because the crew continues to supply depressing outcomes on the diamond. The White Sox have not seen postseason motion because the 2021 season and are unlikely to interrupt that development in 2025. In fact, the 2024 White Sox had been traditionally unhealthy, dropping an MLB-record 121 video games. Maybe having a high-profile fan on the Vatican may also help the franchise flip issues round.
For his or her half, the White Sox have claimed him.
“Household all the time is aware of finest, and it appears like Pope Leo XIV’s lifelong fandom follows just a little nearer to thirty fifth and Shields,” the Sox stated in a press release, referring to Price Subject, through the Chicago Tribune. “Some issues are larger than baseball, and on this case we’re glad to have a White Sox fan represented on the Vatican. A pinstripe White Sox jersey along with his title on it and a hat already are on the way in which to Rome, and naturally, the Pontiff all the time is welcome on the ballpark.”
His election highlights the Bears’ ineptitude
On his X account on Thursday, Dan Treacy of The Sporting Information tweeted, “Chicago produced a pope earlier than a [4,000-passing-yard] quarterback.”
