The White Sox’ prayers for a new stadium might’ve gotten a boost Wednesday with a little help from the South Side’s most famous fan.
Justin Ishbia met Pope Leo XIV outside St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, where the team’s new co-owner and potential chairman-in-waiting asked for a blessing on the future home of the Chicago-born pontiff’s favorite team.
“We talked for a few minutes, and it felt like two guys talking baseball,” Ishbia said by phone from Rome, hours after meeting the Dolton native formerly known as Robert Prevost.
“It was a really wonderful experience and one that I won’t forget. I shared the desire and the vision of a new stadium one day, and hopefully he’ll be there,” said Ishbia, who offered Leo the first pitch whenever that day comes.
“I’m 48, right? And so whether a new stadium occurs in four years or 34 years, I don’t know, but I’m going to be involved in a stadium at some point with the White Sox. And I said to him, ‘I would love for you to be there and throw that first pitch.’ And he looked at me, and he smiled and he said, ‘Thank you,’ and then he said, ‘I’d love to — schedule permitting.’”
Ishbia has a minority stake in the pope’s favorite team, and under a potential succession plan announced earlier this year, could buy a controlling interest in the Sox from chairman Jerry Reinsdorf as early as 2029, the same year the Sox’ lease at Rate Field is up.
That agreement came with “capital infusions” to the Sox from Ishbia, who’s hoping to kickstart the team’s pitch for a new stadium that hasn’t gained traction among state lawmakers. Reinsdorf has long coveted a South Loop ballpark on the undeveloped parcel near Clark and Roosevelt known as The 78.
“I just asked him to bless the new stadium,” Ishbia told the Sun-Times. “I don’t know when it’s going to occur, I can’t say an exact date, but, it will at some point. I asked him to bless the stadium and bless the individuals and people who’ll be working on that stadium and the fans who will come to that stadium.
“I asked him to bless and wish for many years of good fortune. And I said we’re hopeful that with your blessings, it will be a place that creates joy and happiness — and many championships to come,” Ishbia said. “I slid that part in there, so hopefully the man upstairs is going to acquiesce. We’ll see.”
Ishbia’s meeting with the pope along with his wife, Kristen, was arranged through another Chicago area connection: Holy See Ambassador Brian Burch, who hails from the western suburbs.
Vatican security advised guests not to hand any gifts directly to the pope, but when Leo saw Ishbia had brought along a Sox jersey signed by members of the 2005 World Series-winning squad, “he looked at me and he goes, ‘No, no, no, hold on — that stays here with me,’” Ishbia recalled.
“He was excited to have this jersey with, I’m guessing, some of his heroes, the Paul Konerkos and Ozzie Guillens of the world. It was really cool that he didn’t want to follow protocol. He wanted to have it near him,” said Ishbia, who lives in Chicago and is building a massive home in Winnetka.
They didn’t discuss the lowly Sox’ offseason plans, which Ishbia declined to delve into with a reporter.
“I have zero to do with the organization today. I’m a passive owner. And by the way, I don’t want to use the word ‘owner.’ I use the word ‘steward.’ For me, Jerry today is the chairman, and he is the steward of the franchise. And one day, I’ll have a good fortune of being the steward,” Ishbia said, adding that “anything that has to do with business or baseball operations is solely, 100% in Jerry’s court.”
“My view is, this is a community asset. This belongs to the city of Chicago. It’s my job as steward, when it’s my turn, to do my very best to create wonderful, happy memories and moments for Chicago fans all over the city and all over the world.”
Having a high-profile holy fan decked out in Sox gear doesn’t hurt, either.
“There’s an opportunity for one of the most well-known men in the world who has billions of people who love and follow him — if we can get him behind us and part of our organization, the brand, that’s one of my roles as steward, to hopefully bring him into the family, into the fold,” Ishbia said.
“For many, many years, hopefully we’ll have a fan in our corner who has unique access to upstairs.”