Jerseys for just causes
On the Superfans, Spike Lee, and what Pope Leo could do with all the custom jerseys people keep giving him
A unique relationship with professional sports has been one of the hallmarks of Chicago culture for most of the modern era. Aside from the city’s general antipathy to being pushed around or disrespected, an almost fanatical desire to love its teams and their players (and coaches) might be Chicago’s most recognizable common characteristic. It’s been played up so much that nothing more than a pair of sunglasses and a mustache still stands in for “Chicago” more than 30 years after the end of Mike Ditka’s career with the Bears.
■ Thus it is perhaps inevitable that people would associate a Pope born in Chicago with sports culture. First, it was a gift of a Cubs jersey emblazoned with “Leo 14”, an interfaith bit of ribbing from the head of the Assyrian Church (who is also a Chicago native). Then, a personalized Bulls jersey. And then, one from Spike Lee in the style of the New York Knicks.
■ Chicago news reporter Heather Cherone notes, “I really had no idea that being [P]ope meant spending so much time accepting personalized sports jerseys“. It certainly is an oddity -- is he supposed to wear them on his days off, lounging around the Vatican? But once a thing like this starts to gain traction, the center of attention has a choice whether to lean away from it or to lean in.
■ Perhaps Pope Leo XIV ought to lean in. Welcome the gifts, and even encourage them, offering to auction them off with the proceeds going to Catholic Relief Services or Caritas. It’s a way to effectively create something out of nothing: A custom jersey isn’t an expensive item on its own, but it is transformed into something of greater perceived value once it passes through the Pope’s hands.
■ Instead of selling indulgences, the church could sell these gifts for greater humanitarian causes. Once the photo op has taken place, none of the gift-givers could reasonably expect the Pope to wear the jerseys again, and converting them into objects of charitable value would reflect well on everyone. Artifacts of Pope John Paul II still sell for thousands of dollars, so surely an authenticated Pope Leo jersey might be one of the best premium auction items around.
