Pope Leo XIV's sports fandom coming to light with White Sox World Series appearance, Villanova-Knicks ties

 Fox News chief religion correspondent Lauren Green has the latest on the new pontiff's first day at the Vatican on 'Special Report.'

As the first -ever Pope to hail from the U.S., Robert Prevost's American sports ties quickly became a point of global conversation after he was appointed Pope Leo XIV. 

As a Chicago native, Prevost's White Sox fandom came to light this week, and it turns out he's not just a casual fan either. Footage of Prevost attending Game 1 of the 2005 World Series surfaced on social media Friday. 

By pure chance, Prevost was shown on the MLB on FOX broadcast for that game at U.S. Cellular Field on Oct. 22, 2005, and the cameras caught him during the top of the ninth inning as the White Sox were clinching a 5-3 win over the Houston Astros.  

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The White Sox went on to win the series in a four-game sweep, for their only championship since 1917. 

Prevost was first revealed as a White Sox fan when his brother, John Prevost, mentioned it in an interview with WGN-TV. 

"He was always a Sox fan," John said.

But the Pope's rooting interest apparently might not end with baseball. 

Reverand Robert P. Hagan, a friend of Prevost's and a chaplain at the Pope's alma mater, Villanova University, told The Athletic about Prevost's link to the New York Knicks and their star lineup of former Villanova players. 

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Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert Prevost of the United States appears on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, May 8, 2025. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters)

"We’ve had a lot of fun watching the Knicks, because Jalen (Brunson) and Josh (Hart) and Donte (DiVincenzo) was there,