Fans Think Pope’s Message on the Meaning of Sports Proved He’s a True White Sox Fan

The Chicago White Sox have been quick to claim Pope Leo XIV as their own.

Leo, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, was quickly discovered to be a White Sox fan after his elevation to head of the Catholic Church earlier this year. The team has leaned in, with murals of Leo adorning the stadium and fans often showing up to games dressed as His Holiness.

But a recent message from Leo gave fans from the rest of MLB the chance to clown on the White Sox and their new most famous fan a bit. On Sunday, a message on the role of sports in society was shared by the @Pontifex account.

“In our competitive society, where it seems that only the strong and winners deserve to live, sport also teaches us how to lose,” Leo wrote. “It forces us, in learning the art of losing, to confront our fragility, our limitations and our imperfections. It is through the experience of these limits that we open our hearts to hope. Athletes who never make mistakes, who never lose, do not exist.”

On its face, this is a thoughtful message about what we can all learn from sports, win or lose. But baseball fans reading between the lines knew what the Pope was really saying. Learning about how to lose? Sports teaching us about our imperfections? Oh yeah, this guy definitely is a White Sox fan.

Spoken like a true White Sox fan

— South City Bandit (@southcitybandit) June 15, 2025

Wow he really is an honest to god White Sox fan https://t.co/JY9CMYhRza

— James Medlock (@jdcmedlock) June 15, 2025

oh my god https://t.co/Z4aydvODGb pic.twitter.com/CEoa9Qsgll

— aria 🍉 (@GRAV1TYWAVE) June 15, 2025

When the White Sox lose in 11 innings after a mass in your honor at Sox Park: https://t.co/ma71UwwwZI

— jon greenberg (@jon_greenberg) June 15, 2025

https://t.co/9VWNqaMiYD pic.twitter.com/65SOrVBE35

— Josh Billinson (@jbillinson) June 15, 2025

https://t.co/f5awfoVNRS pic.twitter.com/2ucYsG1I3x

— Eoin Higgins (@EoinHiggins_) June 15, 2025

The inevitability of losing in sports is a reality that all sports fans are familiar with, but White Sox fans might be a bit more in touch with their feelings on the matter.

In related news, the White Sox lost to the Texas Rangers on Sunday by a score of 2–1.

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