White Sox fan Pope Leo XIV flexes MLB allegiance in Vatican

The Chicago White Sox fans haven't had much to cheer in the 2025 season as the team sits at the bottom of the American League Central with a slumping 23-44 record.

However, the fanbase has seemingly found their voice as one of their own made it to the papal conclave. Pope Leo XIV is a White Sox fan and his allegiance with the MLB team has been a talking point since he succeeded the late Pop Francis this year.

The Chicago native is one of the most popular White Sox fans and his love for the team was on show during his June 11 Vatican audience in St Peter's Square as Pope Leo XIV arrived wearing a White Sox hat.

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Before his role at the Vatican, the 69-year-old Prevost was also seen at the White Sox's Rate Field for the 2005 World Series. The MLB franchise honored it by installing a mural in the section he sat in during Game 1 of the Fall Classic.

"The White Sox commemorated Pope Leo XIV attending Game 1 of the 2005 World Series with a graphic installation in the section where he sat."

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About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash