In a corner of Paul VI Hall filled with thousands of people who had come to the audience, an unusual gift awaited Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday morning, August 20: a white ping-pong table — an unusual color for this game.
Shaking many hands as he passed by, the 69-year-old pope, known to be a tennis fan and sports enthusiast in general, stopped, intrigued. He hit a few balls with a red and black paddle that was presented to him, to the enthusiastic applause of the crowd.
“We wanted to give him this gift from our city of Chicago and tell him how much we appreciate him,” Robert Blackwell Jr. told Aleteia after the meeting.
In addition to sharing the same first name as Robert Prevost — a coincidence that makes him smile — the American table tennis equipment manufacturer also has something in common with the pope: he was born in Illinois.
“Helping people connect with those they love”
Leo XIV “was very friendly,” he said, describing him as “a sincere and kind person.”
During their few minutes together, the businessman explained to the pontiff that his company, Killerspin, is dedicated to “helping people connect with those they love through games.”
Founded in 2001, Killerspin is behind the “UnPlugNPlay” movement, which promotes spaces to disconnect from the internet and bring teams together — including in offices — around ping-pong tournaments.
The aim is to improve human relationships in the digital age. This year, the company also launched a commercial program enabling young people with autism to participate in the sale of its products.
A wide range of sports accessories
The ping-pong table presented to the Pope at the Vatican bears multiple symbols: the four stars from Chicago’s flag, his papal coat of arms, and the “UnPlugNPlay” logo.
This is not the first time the pontiff has received sports accessories. When he welcomed the world's number one tennis player, Italy's Jannik Sinner, last May, he was presented with a racket by the champion. He joked that Wimbledon, the famous annual tournament in London, would let him play with it.
Leo XIV didn’t mention what he will do with the unusual, immaculate white ping-pong table.
And is this the first papal ping-pong table? Not exactly, as this is not the first time that the CEO, who describes himself as a Christian, has crossed the Atlantic to bring a ping-pong table to the Vatican. “We also gave one to Pope Francis in 2016 ... it's becoming a tradition,” he says, although he doesn't know what became of the first table in this unique series.
