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The moment sports fans found out there was a new American Pope and that he was born in Chicago, every American sports fan had one thought: Was he a Cubs fan or a White Sox fan?
Soon, news emerged that he was a White Sox fan (not without a false report, however, that he was a Cubs fan) and soon after images emerged that the newly baptized Pope Leo XIV was not only a fan, but had been in the stands of the 2005 World Series, which the White Sox won in a series sweep.
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Justin Ishbia, Ambassador Brian Burch and Clay Travis with an autographed 2005 World Series jersey signed by all players (left), while Pope Leo XIV is seen at right. (OutKick; Reuters)
Pope Leo, born Robert Prevost, was elected Pope in May 2025 and then a month later it was announced that my friend and Vanderbilt Law School classmate Justin Ishbia was purchasing the Chicago White Sox.
The two of us were chatting about fun ways Justin could introduce himself to Chicago sports fans and an idea occurred to me: We should travel to the Vatican and invite Pope Leo to throw out the first pitch at a new stadium planned for the White Sox.
After all, Pope Leo was a huge White Sox fan and had attended the World Series 20 years ago as a fan in the crowd. Sure, he’s the Pope now, but deep down, like all of us, he’s a die-hard sports fan.
We were both convinced that the idea was good, but it presented a challenge: how to get a meeting with the Pope to invite him to throw the first pitch?
Pope Leo XIV greets the faithful before his inauguration mass in St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City, May 18, 2025. (David Ramos/Getty Images)
POPE LEO XIV CALLS FOR CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION AMID THE LATEST MASSACRE OF CIVILIANS IN AN AFRICAN NATION
An invitation to the Pope
It’s not like you can just call the Vatican and ask to speak to the Pope’s people.
In the end we found our answer: Vatican ambassador Brian Burch, who lived in Chicago with his family before his confirmation as ambassador.
Fortunately, Ambassador Burch loved the idea, and this morning in Vatican City, Justin and his wife Kristen met with the Pope, presented him with a replica of the 2005 White Sox World Series jersey autographed by the team, and handed the first invitation to the pitch to Pope Leo, who said yes, as long as his schedule allowed. (Turns out the Pope is a little busy.)
So the result, as many of you have probably already seen on social media, is astonishing: the first American-born Pope will throw the first pitch at a new Chicago White Sox stadium, potentially marking the first time the Pope has visited Chicago since 1979.
Pope Leo XIV prays for members of the international media in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican on May 12, 2025. (Domenico Stinellis)
Let’s hope it’s a strike.
And that Pope Leo can help bring back the magic of the 2005 season to White Sox fans.
