Pope Leo XIV gets invite to throw out first pitch at new White Sox stadium

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The minute sports fans learned that there was a new American Pope and he was born in Chicago, every American sports fan had one thought: he's from the Cubs or White Sox fan?

News soon emerged that he was a White Sox fan – but not without falsely reporting that he was a Cubs fan – and soon after, footage emerged showing that not only the newly named Pope Leo XIV fan, he was in the stands for the 2005 World Series, which the White Sox won in the series.

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Justin Ishbia, Ambassador Brian Burch and Clay Travis with an autographed 2005 World Series jersey signed by all players on the left and Pope Leo XIV on the right. (OutKick; Reuters)

Papa Leo, born Robert Prevost, was elected Pope in May 2025, and a month later it was announced that my friend and Vanderbilt Law School classmate Justin Ishbia was buying the Chicago White Sox.

The two of us chatted about fun ways Justin could introduce himself to Chicago sports fans, and I shared an idea: We should go to the Vatican and invite Pope Leo to throw out the first pitch at the planned new White Sox stadium.

After all, Papa Leo was such a big White Sox fan that he visited World Series 20 years ago like a fan in the crowd. Sure, he's a Pope now, but at heart, like the rest of us, he's a dedicated sports fan.

We were both convinced that the idea was good, but it presented a problem: how to get a meeting with the Pope to invite him to make the first presentation?

Pope Leo XIV waves to the crowd in St. Peter's Square arriving for the inaugural Mass at the Vatican.

Pope Leo XIV waves to the faithful before his inaugural Mass in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican, May 18, 2025. (David Ramos/Getty Images)

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Invitation to the Pope

This doesn't mean you can just call the Vatican and ask to talk to the Pope's people.

We finally found the answer: Vatican Ambassador Brian Birch, who lived in Chicago with his family before being confirmed as ambassador.

Luckily, Ambassador Burch liked the idea, and Justin and his wife Kristen met with the Pope this morning at the Vatican, presented with a replica of a signed 2005 White Sox World Series jersey, and extended an invitation to the first presentation to Pope Leo, who said yes if his schedule allowed. (It turns out that dad is busy).

“I asked His Holiness Pope Leo XIV to bless the White Sox’s anticipated new home and pray that he would lift the team and Chicago in peace and strength,” Ishbia told OutKick.

So, the result, as many of you have probably already seen on social media, is stunning: The first American-born Pope will hopefully throw out the first pitch at the new Chicago White Sox stadium, potentially marking the first time a Pope has visited Chicago since 1979.