Can Pope Leo Save the White Sox?| Russell Westbrook Launches AI Funeral Planning Startup

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Can Pope Leo XIV help flagging White Sox economy? Judging from buzz and jersey sales, yes The South Siders have been on the wrong side of history lately, with last season reaching depths few thought was possible. Robert Prevost aka Pope Leo XIV is giving the fan base a shot in the arm, even if the team isn’t able to anytime soon. The first American pope emerged from the white smoke with familiar ties to the city: he hails from E. 141st Place in Dolton, he went to St. Mary’s of the Assumption, and he happens to be a loyal Sox fan. It would be more of a surprise if real and bootleg apparel didn’t pop up overnight to celebrate the historic event. As of now, Pope Leo jerseys are outselling Sox players from the last two years, according to the owners of Grandstand Sports on W. 35th St. It seems surreal for Sox fans that one of their own would ascend to a position held higher than any within just sports. Maybe all those prayers for the team weren’t ignored; they were just answered differently, in a way no one could predict. For more details on the Pope Leo XIV apparel making its way into fans’ closets, see this article by another loyal Sox fan, Jon Greenberg.

United Center owners revamping arena's upper suites It’s been 30 years since the United Center received any updates to its upper suites. The Reinsdorf and Wirtz families, co-owners of the United Center, are following the trend of teams revamping luxury suites around the country. More than just a transformative experience for guests, it allows them to charge more and potentially sell naming rights to sponsors. The “Banner Level” will feature amenities like a large lounge area and in-seat food delivery. The United Center is teaming up with the LA-based design firm Rios for the renovations. It’s the same company handling its ambitious 1901 Project set to re-imagine the Near West Side area surrounding the arena. Guests will enjoy unprecedented views of the entire arena and an eye-level view of the 12 banners the Bulls and Hawks have won. No amount of fancy liquor or Filet Mignon, though, can satisfy the hunger for another banner from the diehards. Crain’s provides renderings of the renovated suites and a timeline for its completion.

Michael Jordan To Join NBC For NBA Coverage This Fall Perhaps earning over $300 million a year and screwing around with NASCAR wasn’t stimulating enough for His Airness. The announcement caught many off guard since Jordan has been highly selective of his media appearances since retirement from the NBA. But then again, he did say, “The NBA on NBC was a meaningful part of my career” after his contributor role was announced. NBC was the broadcaster for many of his most memorable moments - from the iconic shrug to the flu game - it’s more than fair that he gives back to the network that helped make him a household name. No details have been released on exactly how he will contribute once the NBA returns to NBC next season, but we’re positive it won’t include any guest appearances from Scottie Pippen. Here’s more information on where you can catch Jordan next season.

Pope Leo XIV trading card sets Topps Now sales record, exceeds LeBron and Wemby milestone cards Even if you’re not religious or Catholic, it’s a special occasion for the Pope to come from our own familiar streets. First, he made history in Vatican City; now, he’s making history on trading cards. Released on May 8th, Pope Leo XIV trading cards are already the most popular non-sports cards in Topps’ history. In just a week, he’s almost halfway to the record-holding card, Shohei Ohtani’s commemorative card to celebrate the first-ever 50 home run/50 stolen base season in MLB history. Ohtani’s card has had a print run of 655,737. Pope Leo XIV’s inauguration Mass was just yesterday. Let’s see if Chicago can claim another record for the books. The Athletic reports on how many cards of Pope Leo XIV have been sold and what variations are available.

All Elite Wrestling announces Chicago residency in July Few cities can match Chicago’s impact on pro wrestling. NWA was big back in the 70s, WWE in the 80s, and now, AEW will host its first multi-week residency here. The legendary Aragon Ballroom will be the spot that hosts the wrestling promotion for 2 weeks in July. It’s an important moment for the promotion as it continues to gain popularity in competition with WWE. Tony Khan, Illinois native and son of Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan, is the CEO of AEW and someone who relishes the opportunity to bring the show close to home. AEW is only 6 years old, but has grown rapidly thanks to its creative presentation and fun format. Khan touts 2025 as the promotion’s best year to date and believes July in Chicago will only accelerate the momentum. More on the specific dates and wrestlers who will be featured for AEW can be found here.

NBA star Russell Westbrook launches AI-enabled funeral planning startup Russell Westbrook wants to simplify a process nobody takes pleasure in doing. Eazewell is a clever name for the business, speaking directly to grieving families dealing with the headache of planning a funeral. The startup is based out of Westbrook’s hometown of LA and deals with practical ways to simplify the process. For example, its AI-powered technology can call funeral homes for quotes, cancel utility bills, and create a budget plan. AI’s transformative impact has only recently made it possible to even conjure up the idea of providing a personal assistant solely focused on taking away stress for you. It’s a great idea that will hopefully grow into a service that replaces an antiquated process. Here are more details on the premise of the idea and who Westbrook is partnering with in the startup.

Super Bowl, NBA, Olympics Drive NBC Toward Billion-Dollar February NBC is talking a big game in its billion-dollar month projections, but it has strategic plans to back them up. Fox already made nearly a billion in revenue from the Super Bowl this February, so it’s not far-fetched to imagine. We already discussed the NBA returning to NBC after a 23-year hiatus next year, and how they’re bringing MJ back with them. That means it will get the NBA All-Star game, which the NBA will continue to keep retooling to try to maximize views. NBC is up for the Super Bowl next year, and that will most likely bring in their highest national audience of the 3 events. The Olympics are always a big draw in viewership, even if the Winter edition brings in less than the Summer edition. Now, will it be “the greatest collection of content that has ever been assembled by one media company?”, like NBCUniversal claims? Only time will tell. Front Office Sports dives into more detail about NBC’s plans for dominating next February.

Arkansas Passes Legislation to Allow NIL Payments to Go Tax-Free The NIL arms race just hit another escalation point. If you’re surprised at this news, you might not fully understand what’s at stake. Arkansas is in the SEC, one of the most powerful conferences in college sports. It has to battle schools like Georgia, Tennessee, and LSU for recruits in football and basketball, which are by far the biggest revenue-generating sports among colleges. An incentive like tax-free money could swing many on-the-fence recruits their way. The bill also offers confidentiality to recipients, meaning all info about signed NIL deals won’t be subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). It doesn’t protect them from federal taxes, but still, it would add up to tens of thousands in tax savings. This is the first bill like this, but based on what we’ve seen already across college sports, it certainly won’t be the last. Read on further to see the full implications of the new law.

YouTube Will Stream NFL Game For Free From Brazil This September The NFL saw success in last season’s first game from Brazil with the Eagles vs. Packers, so it’s reupping while upping the ante. YouTube has over 2.5 billion monthly active users and is localized in over 100 countries. Goodell is a man on a mission, hate him or not. Even though he was loudly booed at the NFL Draft in Green Bay, fans have him to thank for more football available to them than ever before. He’s leaned into trends effectively, placing a heavy emphasis on massive streaming platforms to spread the NFL’s gospel. He might even try to play a game on Mars once all 7 continents have hosted an NFL game. Check out who will play and how YouTube and the NFL are describing the partnership.

Bibby, Shaq spark momentum as Sacramento State builds new basketball venue It’s been a long time coming for Sacramento State, not just for its new basketball arena, but for national relevance. It has only had 2 winning seasons since it went from DII to DI 34 years ago. The new arena will triple the number of seats and feature 2 large video boards. Sacramento State hopes to translate the buzz surrounding new coach Mike Bibby - a beloved former Sacramento Kings player - and his good friend, Shaq - who needs no introduction and will be the school’s GM. Almost anything is possible in this era of NIL, and the more positive publicity a school like Sacramento State can attract, the better for their long-term future. Despite the big names at the head of their program, it still faces an uphill battle. Just in California, they have to battle for recruits among powerhouses like UCLA, USC, and closer to home, Stanford. But Sacramento locals are feeling momentum building with the program and are itching for another team to root for other than the Kings. Sports Business Journal outlines the plans for the arena and what it is replacing.