The Chicago Cubs made a pretty big blunder with their public message after a Chicago native was named the new pope.
Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost, OSA, on Thursday became the first American in the history of the Roman Catholic Church to be named pope, taking the name Pope Leo XIV. The fact that the new pope was born and raised in Chicago led to a lot of discussion about his potential background as a Chicago sports fan.
Initial media reports indicated that the newly-named Leo XIV actually grew up rooting for the Cubs. The franchise seized on those claims with a congratulatory message on the iconic marquee outside of Wrigley Field in Chicago.
“Hey, Chicago. He’s a Cubs fan!” the sign read.
Congratulations to Pope Leo XIV! pic.twitter.com/s02yDDegQd
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) May 8, 2025
There was just one problem: those initial reports turned out to be false. WGN News interviewed the pope’s brother John, who confirmed that Leo XIV is a lifelong White Sox fan. The Prevosts were raised on the South Side of Chicago, which is where the White Sox play.
“He was never, ever a Cubs fan. I don’t know where that came from,” John Prevost said. “He was always a Sox fan. Our mother was a Cubs fan, and our dad was a Cardinals fan, so I don’t know where that all came from.”
Obviously the biggest question surrounding Chicago native Robert Prevost now that he is Pope Leo XIV: Cubs or White Sox? His brother gave the definitive answer to @WGNNews' @DanaRebikWGN pic.twitter.com/DvMiGZ0qHY
— Josh Frydman (@Josh_Frydman) May 8, 2025
Presumably, the Cubs will be changing that marquee pretty quickly after this reveal.
Things have been rough for the White Sox for the last few years. They lost an MLB-record 121 games in 2024, and things are not getting any better this year. Maybe they can derive some hope from this.
On the other hand, the selection of a Chicago-born pope has actually led to some Chicago teams getting trolled on social media. The Cubs are the latest team to get the treatment, but they set themselves up for this one.
