Although nearly 41,000 baseball fans packed Rate Field last Tuesday to watch the Chicago White Sox lose to the Cincinnati Reds, at least the attendees didn’t go home empty handed.
They received team-branded, papal-style hats in honor of Pope Leo XIV, a lifelong White Sox fan who attended Game 1 of the 2005 World Series as Father Robert Prevost.
Initially, the black-and-gold mitre hat giveaway was only for 2,500 fans, but massive interest forced the organization to expand the promotion to the entire stadium.
“We couldn’t remember anything where we had to put it to 40,000,” White Sox marketing chief Brooks Boyer told reporters before the game, according to ESPN. “I know I’ve certainly never sat in this seat to talk about a promo item before. So, this has obviously got to be a pretty good one.”
- Along with the hats were other Catholic-themed elements during the game, including a first pitch from Sister Mary Jo that has gone viral, organ music and a fifth inning sign of peace.
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Immediately following the game, sellers flocked to eBay and Facebook Marketplace to hawk the exclusive White Sox-logoed pope hats.
@whitesox 🤝 #pope #mlb #peace ♬ original sound – Chicago White Sox
One eBay seller is offering the hat for $134.99. As of Wednesday evening, another eBay seller sold 15 hats for $129.99 each, according to The Chicago Sun-Times. Lifelong White Sox fan Erik Lipinsky took to Facebook to sell a hat, listing it for $50 and receiving 20 responses, The Chicago Sun-Times reported.
- Most listings range from $50-100 per hat; however, some are selling for as high as $289.99.
“We viewed the promotion as a creative way to celebrate one of the franchise’s most popular fans, and by the overwhelming response we received, White Sox fans certainly agreed,” Boyer told The Chicago Sun-Times.
