The Roman Catholic Church has a new pope. And he happens to be a fan of the Chicago White Sox.
Pope Leo XIV, previously known as Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, made history last Thursday, having become the 268th pope in Catholic history, the very first American to do so.
The new Supreme Pontiff has also made some history that has nothing to do with religion as a result of his appointment, appearing on Topps trading cards in the wake of his election, with the company promoting cards bearing his likeness and selling them through Sunday.
Topps announced on Monday that they had sold 133,535 copies of the Pope card, the most ever for a Topps NOW series outside of sports.
NEW RECORD: Pope Leo XIV has set an all-time record for any non-sports Topps Now card.
— Topps (@Topps) May 12, 2025
133,535 copies sold. https://t.co/GR9WU0wsob
Of course, Topps NOW has pulled in bigger numbers.
The trading card company printed 653,737 cards depicting Shohei Ohtani’s history-making 50/50, and he would even sign one of them.
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While they couldn’t get Pope Leo XIV to sign any of his cards, Topps revealed that one random fan would be the recipient of a “Superfactor” edition after 100,000 pieces had sold.
Pope Leo XIV Card Promped Instant Profit
The company made an estimated $1.2 million, having sold the card at $8.99. But holders can’t hope to profit much from reselling them as the sheer number makes that next to impossible.
The new pope, now known to be a Sox fan after the Chicago Cubs tried to claim him, will probably enjoy seeing himself on a sports card. His brother made it clear that he was a Sox fan following a back-and-forth over his favorite team in the wake of his appointment.
“Some things are bigger than baseball, and in this case, we’re glad to have a White Sox fan represented at the Vatican,” the team said after the record was set straight.
“A pinstripes White Sox jersey with his name on it and a hat already are on the way to Rome, and of course, the Pontiff always is welcome at his ballpark,” they added.
Also Read: Everyone Was Making The Same Joke About Shedeur Sanders After The New Pope Was Unveiled On Thursday
