No one can ever say Peyton Manning isn’t dedicated to his profession, whether on the field or broadcasting. That was never more evident than on Monday night during the ManningCast on ESPN 2, when little brother Eli Manning mentioned his co-host’s attempt at booking Pope Leo XIV for the “Monday Night Football” opener.
Pope Leo joining the season five broadcast of the ManningCast would have been the holy grail of guests for Bears fans. His support of Chicago sports teams has been widely reported.
“I think we should let the people know that you tried to book a big-time guest,” Eli said, before asking, “Is it true you failed to book Chicago native, Pope Leo?”
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“Yeah, kinda like I failed to recruit Randy Moss to Tennessee, I couldn’t close the Pope,” Peyton admitted. “But I made the effort, Eli,” he continued. “That’s the kind of effort we make here at ESPN2. I wrote His Holiness himself, and I wrote his executive assistant. I made the effort,” Peyton explained before offering an open invite to the Pope to stop by anytime.
Formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, Pope Leo XIV, grew up loving baseball on the South Side of Chicago. It’s been reported that he’s a fan of the White Sox, a narrative that gained more steam after footage from the 2005 World Series surfaced showing Leo in the stands as a kid. His brother eventually confirmed his fandom, and not long after that, Leo publicly donned a White Sox cap.
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Last month, Leo was honored outside of Chicago at an independent baseball game by the Kane County Cougars with his own bobblehead night at Northwest Medicine Field. The first 1,500 patrons were rewarded with a Pope Leo XIV bobblehead.
The Bears have one more Monday night game on the schedule this season, when they visit the Washington Commanders for Week 6 on Oct. 13. So, the Mannings have one last shot at having Pope Leo XIV on the ManningCast as a featured guest during a Chicago game this season.