The White Sox will continue to embrace Pope Leo XIV later this summer.
The team announced that they will be hosting a ballpark-wide ‘White Sox Pope Hat’ giveaway for all fans in attendance at the Tuesday, August 11th game vs. Cincinnati. The item was initially offered exclusively to specialty theme night ticket purchasers, but it was expanded due to popular demand.
“The fans have spoken, and unlike some of our more limited quantity promotions, the White Sox Pope Hat is one we believe all fans should have the opportunity to take home,” said Brooks Boyer, White Sox chief revenue and marketing officer. “We viewed the promotion as a creative way to celebrate one of the franchise’s most popular fans, and by the overwhelming response we received, White Sox fans certainly agreed.”
Pope Leo XIV, formerly known as Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, was named the new pope of the Roman Catholic Church last May. Born in Chicago’s Mercy Hospital and raised in nearby Dolton, he is the first pope to hail from the United States and has instantly become one of Chicago’s most famous natives.
Following word of his elevation to the papacy, many wondered whether he supported the Cubs or the White Sox. The pope’s brother, John Prevost, settled the heated social media debate in an interview with WGN on Thursday afternoon.
“He was never, ever a Cubs fan. So I don’t know where that came from. He was always a Sox fan,” Prevost said. “Our mother was a Cubs fan. I don’t know, maybe that clued in there, and our dad was a Cardinals fan, so I don’t know where that all came from. And all the aunts in our mom’s family were from the north side, so that’s why they were Cubs fans.”
Thanks to a photo published by the Chicago Sun-Times, fans got their first glimpse of Pope Leo XIV at the 2005 World Series dressed in White Sox gear. Less than a day later, we uncovered a video from Game 1, where the pontiff was briefly shown on the FOX broadcast before Bobby Jenks secured the final out for a 5-3 victory.
Group, full, and partial ticket plans are available now for this summer’s most popular giveaway. For more information, visit whitesox.com.
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Featured Photo: © Matt Marton-Imagn Images
