Chicago has known for a while that Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Prevost on the South Side, bleeds Black and White Sox pinstripes rather than Cubbie blue. He was reportedly at Game 1 of the 2005 World Series when the Sox broke their 88-year title drought, and he's been photographed in a White Sox hat since taking over at the Vatican. So it was only a matter of time before the team itself leaned into it, and on August 11 they did, throwing a full-blown Pope Hat Night at Rate Field.
White Sox fans in tall gold-and-black bishop's mitre hats lined up near a stadium concourse mural of Pope Leo XIV in White Sox regalia to snap photos.
The giveaway hats were exactly what they sound like: novelty mitres straight out of the Vatican gift shop, except in Sox colors. Fans wore them through the concourse, past the restrooms, all the way to their seats, and the club leaned into the bit with a mural of the pontiff decked out in team gear for the faithful to pose in front of.
Fans in mitre hats gathered near sections 140/141, some wearing jerseys like one reading CHICAGO'S POPE, next to the Pope Leo XIV mural.
One fan's jersey said it best: Chicago's Pope. It's a title Leo earned honestly. He grew up in Dolton, just south of the city, and his brother has publicly backed the White Sox claim over any Cubs counter-narrative — no small thing in a city where that argument can get heated at Thanksgiving.
The pun game around the promotion wrote itself, and Barstool Chicago couldn't resist a 'Peace be with you' nod to the fans decked out in bishop gear for the night. It's not a religious statement, just a cheap and easy line for a stadium full of people wearing novelty mitres to a baseball game.
Fans in the gold-and-black mitre hats walk through the Rate Field concourse, some in White Sox jerseys.
The game itself gave the crowd something to cheer for too — a White Sox player named Doyle went deep to open the scoring against the Reds, with the scoreboard flashing CWS 1, CIN 0 behind him. It's not Brenton Doyle of the Rockies, just a fun coincidence of surnames that had Barstool Chicago running with the joke into a stadium full of pope hats.