Chicago is a city united in its fanaticism for the NFL’s Bears, but completely divided when it comes to baseball between the Cubs in the north of the city, identified with upper-middle-class neighborhoods and a historically white population, and the White Sox in the south, associated with the working class and large African American and Latino communities.
The election of Cardinal Robert Prevost as the new pope of the Catholic Church exacerbated the division between both baseball teams.
During the afternoon, hours after the identity and origin of the new pontiff were known, the Cubs wrote on social media, “Congratulations to Pope Leo XIV,” with a photo of the famous sign at their Wrigley Field stadium that said, "‘Hey Chicago, he’s a Cubs fan.’."
But hours later, the White Sox also responded on social media with a similar post on the scoreboard of their stadium: “Hey Chicago, he’s a Sox fan.”
Which Chicago team does the new pope support?
The post from the White Sox was accompanied by a brief video to local media of John Prevost, León XIV’s brother, who said, "he was never a fan of the Cubs, I don’t know where that came from. He was always a fan of the White Sox."
John Prevost also explained that his mother was a Cubs fan, as she grew up in the northern part of the city, while his father supported the Saint Louis Cardinals. However, his brother, from a young age, sided with the rival team from the south.
The White Sox took the opportunity to highlight their connection with the new pontiff, mentioning that they had already sent a jersey and a cap to the Vatican. “It seems that Pope Leo XIV’s lifelong affection leans towards the area of 35th Street and Shields,” team representatives said, referring to the White Sox stadium.
The Chicago Sun Times also published a photo of Robert Prevost supporting the White Sox in the 2005 World Series against the Houston Astros.
The article also tells about the friendship of the new pope with Ed Schmit, also a White Sox fan, with whom they used to go to games together when Prevost was in Chicago.
In the photo published by the Sun Times, Robert Prevost, Schmit, and his grandson appear.
Pope Leo XIV also likes tennis.
During Robert Prevost’s ecclesiastical career, he also showed interest in other sports.
Graduated in 1977 from Villanova, he celebrated the national college basketball title won by the Wildcats in 2016 and in an interview conducted in 2023, he mentioned that one of his favorite activities was playing tennis, although he acknowledged that his new responsibilities left him with little free time: “I consider myself a big tennis fan. Since I left Peru, I’ve had few opportunities to practice, so I’m looking forward to getting back on the courts.”