It's not often that the sports world becomes enamored with the papal selection process, but that changed when word broke of Pope Leo XIV's selection as the first American pope last week. As soon as the world found out the new pope was from Chicago, sports folks immediately dug in to see where he stands as a fan of sports teams in the Windy City.

It’s the biggest victory for the struggling Chicago White Sox in a long time. Pope Leo XIV is a White Sox fan — and the organization is embracing the news.

Amid conflicting reports about which Windy City team the new pope roots for, Chico Harlan of the Washington Post noted Friar Joseph Farrell texted Pope Leo and received a one-word response confirming that he's a Chicago White Sox fan.