Chicago White Sox Fan Goes Viral for His Appearance at the 2005 World Series

Now 20 years after the Sox beat the Houston Astros to win the championship, a video clip of Pope Leo XIV in the crowd at Game 1 has emerged.

A photo of the newly elected Pope Leo XIV is seen outside of the Chapel of the Holy Family at the Alumni Memorial Union on Friday May 9, 2025, at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis. / Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There were 41,206 people inside what then was known as U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago on Oct . 22, 2005, when the White Sox defeated the Houston Astros 5-3 in Game 1 of the World Series.

Photographic evidence spread on social media Friday shows that Robert Prevost, a Chicago-area native and confirmed White Sox fan, was among the fans in the crowd.

The FOX Sports clip, with Joe Buck on the call, was circulated by the Sox on 35th account on X. It shows a nervous-looking man, wearing a Sox jersey under a dark jacket on a night that was 53 degrees at game time, watching as closer Bobby Jenks pitches to shortstop Adam Everett with two outs in the top of the ninth, nursing what is a 5-3 lead.

That was the final score, and the White Sox went on to sweep the series.

On Thursday, Prevost was chosen by the papal conclave at the Vatican as the next pope, and he assumed the name Pope Leo XIV.

“Pope Leo XIV made the broadcast while at Game 1 of the 2005 World Series,” Sox on 35th wrote.

The pope – the leader of 1.4 billion Roman Catholics in the world – isn’t the only powerful White Sox fan. The list of Sox faithful also includes the former leader of the free world, Barack Obama, who was the junior senator from Illinois before being elected president in 2008.

Since Prevost became pope, we’ve learned more about his fandom. As a graduate of Villanova, he also is a fan of Wildcats basketball, and apparently, by extension the New York Knicks.

And there is one more thing to know about the first U.S.-born cardinal to become pope: he loves basketball. The Rev. Robert P. Hagan, who is a senior associate athletic director at Villanova, told The Athletic in an interview Friday that he and Leo have kept in touch via email and text to discuss basketball – especially the Knicks, who have a roster featuring a number of former Villanova Wildcats.

“We’ve had a lot of fun watching the Knicks because Jalen (Brunson) and Josh (Hart) and Donte (DiVincenzo) was there and now Mikal (Bridges) is there,” Hagan said. “I think that Pope Leo will still keep an eye on the Nova Knicks. I think he’ll still keep an eye on the Wildcats, and I think he’ll be very proud of not just who they are but the way that they play with a certain spirit and unselfishness.”

And he probably still will keep a bit of an eye on the White Sox, at least, despite his new responsibilities.