The Chicago White Sox are officially taking a lap and claiming the new pope as one of their own.
After Chicago-born Robert F. Prevost was elected and became Pope Leo XIV last week, the White Sox and their in-town rival, the Chicago Cubs, battled over who could claim the papacy’s support.
The tug-of-war started with a bevy of outlets claiming they knew which way the new pope leaned.
ABC News allegedly declared that he’s Cubs fan. Chicago outlet WLS-TV claimed that he is a fan of both Chicago teams.
The debate was largely closed when the pope’s brother, John Prevost, confirmed in an interview that Pope Leo XIV was always a Sox fan.
“He was never, ever a Cubs fan, so I don’t know where that came from. He was always a Sox fan.
Pope Leo XIV addresses the crowd at St. Peter’s Square. Photo by Francesco Sforza – Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images
The White Sox proudly posted the video of the pope’s brother’s words alongside an image from their jumbotron at Rate Field.
“Hey Chicago, he’s a Sox fan!” the team boasted.
The White Sox also made an official statement, which noted, “A pinstripes White Sox jersey with his name on it and a hat are already on the way to Rome, and of course, the pontiff always is welcome at his ballpark.”
‘The White Sox proudly congratulate the South Side’s very own.’
After claiming the victory, the White Sox made a new graphic that hilariously labeled the pope as the “South Side’s very own.”
“The White Sox proudly congratulate the South Side’s very own Pope Leo XIV, named the 268th pope of the Roman Catholic Church,” the stadium scoreboard read.
Former White Sox pitcher Eric Fedde, who now plays for the St. Louis Cardinals, had a lot of sympathy for the pope having to endure a less-than-desirable team over recent years.
Fedde played on the 41-121 White Sox team last season and remarked, “Well, maybe he had to pray a few times watching us.”
The pope is joined by President Barack Obama as a fellow White Sox fan, as well as names like Pablo Picasso and even actor Mr. T.
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