CHICAGO (WLS) — The Chicago White Sox have certainly had some great moments in history.
Recently, no team has needed a morale boost more than the White Sox, and having support from the Vatican is about as uplifting as it gets.
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It was the historic news watched around the world. A new pope, the first ever from the United States, is from Chicago.
And the first question of any Chicagoan is, “Cubs or Sox?” Let’s just say there was jubilation on the South Side.
“This iconic global leader is, in fact, a fan of our team. It’s been incredible!” expressed Christine O’Reilly, Vice President of White Sox Community Relations.
The White Sox shared this news on Twitter last week after it was verified. The footage of then-Father Robert Prevost at the 2005 World Series has been widely circulated.
But there is one small issue. The Sox already retired the Paul Konerko’s Number 14, 10 years ago, long before Pope Leo XIV was elected. The Sox expect Konerko is willing to share.
“He’s OK with that, yes. It’s probably in his best interests,” O’Reilly said.
First baseman Konerko caught the throw for the last out in the World Series and later gave the ball to owner Jerry Reinsdorf at the Sox victory parade. So, he has always had a good sense of who the boss is.
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Sox front office members thought it could not get any better than when another famous fan, President Barack Obama, was in the White House. But it did.
“Now, for the first time ever, there’s an American pope, who is a professed and profound fan of the White Sox? It’s almost too much to even process,” O’Reilly said.
The White Sox shared an image of a special “Pope Leo” jersey last week.
Team officials are still taking it all in, but the possibility of future promotional opportunities is not lost on them.
“We certainly want to be reverent with it, but there’s opportunities to have fun with it, too,” O’Reilly said.
The White Sox believe the future pope sat in section 140 during the World Series in 2005. So, the number 14 comes into play again. The Sox have not determined which seat the future Pope sat in, but they expect it will be in pretty high demand.
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