The White Sox have seen a spike in Pope LEO XIV jerseys after finding out that the Catholic Church’s newest pontiff grew up a fan and is a Chicago native
Pope Leo XIV has caused a surge in White Sox jersey sales after the Chicago native became the first American to hold the historic position of pontiff.
The 69-year-old became the head of the Catholic Church following Pope Francis’s death at the end of last month. Immediately, Pope Leo XIV‘s history began to unravel and his love for sports, particularly baseball, became clear after he was spotted in the crowd at a White Sox game during the 2005 World Series.
The Pope’s brother was also forced to clarify whether he was a Cubs or White Sox fan after the former claimed the pontiff was one of their own. “Yeah, he was never, ever a Cubs fan. I don’t know where that came from. He was always a Sox fan. Our mother was a Cubs fan; our dad was a Cardinals fan. I don’t know where that all came from,” John, the Pope’s sibling, told WGN news.
READ MORE: Phil Mickelson’s reaction to PGA Championship disaster speaks volumes about LIV Golf starREAD MORE: ESPN chair makes his feelings clear on Stephen A Smith’s future at network
Following the confirmation, the White Sox celebrated their latest famous fan. “The White Sox proudly congratulate the South Side’s very own Pope LEO XIV,” the MLB projected on their big screen inside their stadium. Pope Leo XIV has also profoundly impacted White Sox jersey sales.
According to The Athletic, orders for Pope Leo XIV’s White Sox jersey are “coming in from all over,” but the baseball club is “playing it cool and trying to be respectful” by not pushing sales on their official sites.
Still, fans are welcome to request Pope Leo XIV jerseys at the club store, but “won’t be selling chintzy T-shirts or making the players wear City Connect cassocks.” Grandstand Sports in Chicago is selling Pope jerseys for $200.
“I think Pope Leo is probably overselling ballplayers in the last two years,” store owner Stephanie Ganal said.
“We have a business that allows us to customize a jersey and put a name and number on it. So why not? Think about it, there’s what, over a billion followers in that faith, right?” co-owner Josh Ganal added.
The store claims to have sold at least “a few hundred” jerseys, with Pope Leo XIV’s stardom matching that of President Barack Obama, who also hailed from Chicago.
President Obama was “constantly wearing a White Sox hat, it goosed sales in the winter of 2008” – the same year he was elected the first black President of the U.S.
Vice President J.D. Vance was in attendance as Pope Leo XIV began his inauguration mass, marking the official start of his papacy. The Pope delivered several profound messages, including that of suffering seen as a results of wars across the globe.
“The martyred Ukraine is waiting for negotiations for a just and lasting peace to finally happen,” he said.
- Source: NEWHD MEDIA
