Chicago-Born Pope: Cubs or Sox?

Elected on Thursday, Robert Prevost is the first pope from the United States in the history of the Catholic Church. Both the Cubs and Sox have tried to claim the Chicago-born-missionary-turned-Pope as their own.

May 9, 2025

Pope Leo XIV Brings Hope to Chicago Sports Fans, and the Knicks for Their Villanova Ties
AP News’ Eric Olson writes, “The sports loyalties of Pope Leo XIV became a topic of conversation almost as soon as the white smoke emerged from the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel.

“Elected on Thursday, Robert Prevost is the first pope from the United States in the history of the Catholic Church.

“Chicago’s two baseball teams were front and center as sports fans reacted to the news [of the Chicago-born missionary].

“It was initially reported that the new pope was a Cubs fan. The team congratulated Pope Leo XIV in a post on X that had a picture of Wrigley Field’s iconic marquee with the message: HEY, CHICAGO. HE’S A CUBS FAN! But his brother, John Prevost, set the record straight in an interview with WGN-TV. The pope is a White Sox fan.

“‘He was never ever a Cubs fan, so I don’t know where that came from. He was always a Sox fan,’ John said, adding that the confusion might stem from the fact their mother’s side of the family were North Siders and Cubs fans.”
^{AP News}

Shohei Ohtani Could Have Landed 15-year deal, Agent Says, But He Didn’t Want to Risk Skills Decline
“We could have went to 13, 14, 15 years,” agent Nez Balelo said. “But Shohei wanted to always kind of keep the integrity of where he’s at as a player. He just didn’t want to have the end of his storybook career tail off and then on year 13, 14 and 15, it’s just like who is this guy? You can’t even run down first and he’s not a guy anymore.”
^{AP News}

Are American Bettors Losing Interest In Basketball?
Sportico’s Eben Novy-Williams writes, “Flutter—which owns PaddyPower, BetFair, Sky Betting & Gaming and FanDuel, among other brands—released its first quarter earnings Wednesday. The brand’s first-quarter handle, the total amount bet across all sports, grew in line with internal projections, Jackson said, but success in football and baseball papered over underwhelming numbers from one of FanDuel’s other most important sports.”
^Sportico

Google’s YouTube Favored to Stream Exclusive NFL Game for First Time: Sources
The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand writes, “Google’s YouTube has emerged as the heavy favorite to stream its first exclusive NFL game on Friday of the opening week, sources briefed on the discussions told The Athletic on Thursday. The deal would represent another landmark agreement between the league and a behemoth digital platform that is redefining how fans watch games.”
^{The Athletic}

Derek Shelton Knew it Was Time to Win. The Pirates Haven’t, and Now the Manager is Out of a Job
AP News’ Will Graves writes, “Derek Shelton was booed loudly when he was introduced ahead of his sixth home opener as the Pittsburgh Pirates manager last month. He shook it off in the aftermath, attributing the reaction to understandable frustration from a fan base weary of a franchise-wide reset that looks and feels stalled.

“The man who arrived at spring training saying it was time to win pledged to get it cleaned up. A little over a month later, with the Pirates languishing in last place amid a flurry of missteps both on and off the field, Shelton was out of a job.”
^{AP News}

Joel Quenneville Hired by Anaheim Ducks for His 1st Head Coaching Job Since Blackhawks Abuse Scandal
AP News’ Greg Beacham writes, “The second-winningest coach in NHL history said he is a changed man after nearly four years away from the game. As he took over behind the bench of the Anaheim Ducks, he vowed to continue to educate himself about abuse, to expand his work with victims, and to create an unimpeachably safe workplace with his new team.”
^{AP News}

Olympic Great Sue Bird to Be First Managing Director of USA Basketball Women’s National Team
The five-time Olympic champion was named to the newly created position Thursday and it marks a major change in the way the organization creates its roster and coaching staff. Before the change, a committee made those decisions, but now in a move similar to what the USA men’s national team does, Bird will be the one responsible for putting things together. Grant Hill has the same role on the men’s side.
^{AP News}

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Texas, Texas A&M Will Play Rivalry Game on Black Friday
The Athletic’s Sam Khan Jr. reports: “The Longhorns and Aggies, who last year renewed their more-than-century-old rivalry for the first time since 2011, will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT on Friday, Nov. 28 in Austin. Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte and Texas A&M athletic director Trev Alberts both expressed an interest last year in moving future iterations of the game to a Friday night in hopes of seeking a more exclusive television window.”
^{The Athletic}

FCS Heading Toward 12-Game Regular-Season Schedule Starting in 2026
“Standardizing the start date and number of contests in FCS football enhances the overall experience and provides FCS football student-athletes with the opportunity to participate in the same number of regular-season contests as FBS football student-athletes, regardless of the calendar year,” the committee wrote in its report.
^{The Athletic}

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