Sports fans who have gone crazy over the election of the new pope

BarcelonaThis week, a slew of people dressed as the Pope of Rome have been spotted marching through downtown New York City, heading toward Madison Square Garden. The reason? Fans of the NBA's New York Knicks are convinced the new pope has blessed them. They believe the election of Robert Prevost as pontiff will lead them to their first NBA title in decades. Why? Because Prevost attended Villanova University, the same university that produced three of the team's best players: Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges. All three starred for the Villanova Wildcats and were crowned NCAA champions in 2016. Prevost then tweeted an article praising this milestone because he follows the Wildcats' results.

In the United States, going to college leaves its mark. Most graduates feel part of their school for life and follow their teams' sports results, as Prevost, a 1973 math graduate from Villanova, has done throughout his life. The fact that the Knicks are currently shining with Villanova players has thrilled a fan base accustomed to the defeats of their 1999 seasons. And they lost that one, because they haven't won the tournament since 1973. Film director Spike Lee, a Knicks backer since 1985, posted a message on social media stating that it was a divine sign: we will be champions. For the moment, the Knicks lead 3-1 over the favorite Boston Celtics in the conference semifinals.

If Pope Francis was considered the pontiff with the greatest passion for sports, as evidenced by his love for San Lorenzo de Almagro or his key role in bringing the Giro d'Italia into Vatican territory on June 1, Leo XIV is no slouch. A son of Chicago, he has followed basketball and one of the most beloved sports in Illinois, baseball. In fact, the Chicago Cubs have claimed on social media that the Pope loves them, although fans of the rival team, the Chicago White Sox, claim he follows them and use as proof a video in which he appears to appear in the stands during a game.

The election of the new pontiff was followed by millions of people to see which way the new pope would fit. To see if he would be open or closed, modern or traditional. The whole world was hanging on that decision. Now, few people would have imagined that, after the first hours of Prevost's papacy, a frenzy would erupt among sports fans to see if Leo XIV was one of their own. A game, certainly, but one that has Knicks fans and also Alianza Lima fans going berserk.

Passion in Peru

Since Leo XIV spent so many years in Peru and holds Peruvian nationality, local soccer fans immediately wondered if he was a fan of a team from Chiclayo, where he lived. No; apparently, he followed the scores of Alianza Lima, considered the most popular club in Peru, with fans of humble origins. Various witnesses claim that he followed the scores and talked about the games, surely seeking to reach out to the population. If you're an American and come to Peru looking to integrate, soccer will allow you to do so. The result has been that Alianza Lima itself tweets euphorically, imagining that perhaps having a pope who follows him brings him good luck.

It's worth remembering that in 2014, Germany won the World Cup with a German pope, and in 2022, Argentina won it with an Argentine pope. Now that we have a pope with dual nationality, it remains to be seen whether he brings luck to Americans or Peruvians. Leo XIV, well, follows football. And, in fact, on his first day in office, while greeting the faithful as he left the Vatican, he saw a Roma football scarf and blurted out, "Strength, Rome."

The new Pope also loves tennis. In various interviews, he has admitted that he is a great fan of the sport, which he has practiced throughout his life as much as he could. "I consider myself an amateur tennis player. Since I left Peru, I've had few opportunities to play, so I'm eager to get back on the court," he said in 2023. In fact, already in his first days in office, the Pope found time to meet with the world number 1, the Italian Jannik Sinner, with whom he spoke about himself between matches and just talking about himself.

Now your schedule will be busier than ever, but if you find a space, within the walls of the Vatican, the smallest state in the world, there is a small tennis court. This court, visible from the windows of the Vatican Museums, was created in the 1970s, and a tennis tournament was born between Vatican residents and workers. The first champion was Gian Battista Ghislandi, music coordinator for Vatican Radio. In the 1980s and 1990s, the tournament was quite successful, although it hasn't been held for years and the court has become somewhat neglected. The arrival of a racquet-loving pope could revive the tournament, who knows? Be that as it may, the Vatican's connection to sport is strong and not new. Tennis tournaments were held there as early as the 15th century. historical calcium, the brutal sport that is still practiced in Florence, or payacuerda, a kind of fronton. We have documented popes from that era who could end up participating in brawls to score a point in those medieval sports. Fortunately, Leo XIV preferred tennis, which was more sedate.