The Pope's Favorite Team

The Chicago White Sox had one of the worst seasons in baseball history in 2024, losing 121 games and setting a record for the most losses in the modern era. More than a month into the 2025 season, the team was still in last place in its division, and not many fans were showing up to their home games. Things looked pretty hopeless for Sox fans — until something unexpected changed everything.

In May 2025, the Catholic Church chose Robert Prevost to become the new pope. He took the name Pope Leo XIV and became the first American ever to lead the Roman Catholic Church. White Sox fans were thrilled to discover that this historic new pope had cheered for their team his whole life.

Shortly after Pope Leo XIV was announced, the White Sox started winning — and winning a lot. By early summer, the team had climbed all the way to first place in the American League Central division. There are real baseball reasons for the improvement, like new talented players and better coaching, but fans found it much more exciting to wonder if their famous supporter in Rome deserved some of the credit.

One moment from a June 26 game against the Kansas City Royals captured the pope excitement perfectly. Pitcher Mike Vasil was wearing a microphone for the TV broadcast when catcher Drew Romo, who is Catholic, walked up to him in the dugout and said, 'Pope Leo, if you're watching this game right now, say a quick prayer for a Jacob Gonzalez homer right now.' Seconds later, Gonzalez hit his first home run at Rate Field, and Vasil shouted, 'It's working, Leo!'

Reporter Tania Ganguli traveled to Chicago to see the excitement up close and speak with people in the organization. She attended the simple Sunday Mass the White Sox hold before every Sunday home game, where stadium workers, players, coaches, and executives all sit together at plain gray picnic tables. She even sat in the very seat where Pope Leo XIV once watched Game 1 of the 2005 World Series, seeing the stadium just as the pope had seen it.

The team's marketing staff worked hard to celebrate the special connection with the new pope. Mike Downey, the senior director of promotions, said his first thought when he heard the pope was a Sox fan was 'Oh my God,' and his second was whether the pope could throw out a first pitch someday. He tried to make a pope bobblehead happen, but church officials weren't excited about that idea.

Instead, the White Sox organized a 'pope hat' promotion for a Tuesday home game, giving about 40,000 fans a free White Sox-themed papal miter — the tall, pointed hat worn by Catholic bishops and the pope. Team officials checked with Catholic clergy as they planned the events, making sure everything was done respectfully. The White Sox organization has deep Catholic roots, so the connection to the new pope felt very natural to many people there.

Brooks Boyer, the team's chief marketing officer and a practicing Catholic, said the whole situation felt almost unreal. He pointed out that the White Sox have had famous fans before, including mayors, governors, and even President Barack Obama. 'I didn't expect anything bigger than the mayor when I started this job, but we've kind of climbed the ladder,' he said. 'What's next? I mean, I feel like we're one step away from God.'