Alas, Chicago's professional sports glory has faded since the days when Michael Jordan was the most recognized athlete in the world. Now most of our teams rarely rise above mediocre, despite a few high points -- such as Sammy Sosa making home-run history for the Cubs. But Chicago fans are nothing if not loyal, and, for that reason, attending a home game in any sport is an uplifting experience. And look on the bright side: Now that our teams aren't doing so well, it's a lot easier to get tickets to games.

Baseball

Baseball is imprinted in the national consciousness as part of Chicago, not because of victorious dynasties, but rather because of the opposite -- the Black Sox scandal of 1919 and the perennially losing Cubs.

Let's start with the Chicago Cubs. The Cubbies haven't made a World Series appearance since 1945 and haven't been World Champs since 1908, but when the team plays in so perfect a place as Wrigley Field, with its ivy-covered outfield walls, its hand-operated scoreboard, its view of the shimmering lake from the upper deck, and its "W" or "L" flag announcing the outcome of the game to the unfortunates who couldn't attend, how could anyone stay away? After all the strikes and temper tantrums and other nonsense, Wrigley has managed to hold on to something like purity. Yes, Chicago Tribune-owned Wrigley finally installed lights a decade ago, but by agreement with the residential neighborhood it occupies, the Cubs still play most games in the daylight, as they should. Because Wrigley is small, just about every seat is decent.

No matter how the Cubs are doing, tickets ($12-$36) go fast; most weekend and night games are sold out by Memorial Day. Your best bet is to hit a weekday game, or try your luck buying a ticket on game day outside the park (you'll often find some season-ticket holders looking to unload a few seats).

Wrigley Field, 1060 W. Addison St. (tel. 773/404-CUBS; www.cubs.mlb.com), is easy to reach. Take the Red Line to the Addison stop, and you're there. You could also take the no. 22 bus, which runs up Clark Street. To order tickets in person, stop by the ticket windows at Wrigley Field, Monday through Friday from 9am to 6pm, Saturday from 9am to 4pm, and on game days. Call tel. 800/THE-CUBS for tickets through Ticketmaster, and you can also order online through the Cubs website. About a dozen tours of the ballpark are led each season; tickets are $15 and are sold through the Wrigley Field ticket office or Ticketmaster.

Alas, the Chicago White Sox can't count on the same kind of loyalty as the Cubs. Longtime fans rue the day owner Jerry Reinsdorf (who is also majority owner of the Bulls) replaced the admittedly dilapidated Comisky Park with a concrete behemoth that lacks the yesteryear charm of its predecessor (it's now known as U.S. Cellular Field). That said, sightlines at the new stadium are spectacular from every seat (if you avoid the vertigo-inducing upper-deck seats), and every conceivable amenity -- from above-average ballpark food concessions to shops to plentiful restrooms -- has been provided for your ease and enjoyment. The endearing quality about the White Sox is their blue-collar, working-class aura with which so many Cubs-loathing South Siders identify. Games are rarely sellouts -- a residual effect, presumably, of Reinsdorf's sterile stadium and the blighted neighborhood that surrounds it. All of this makes it a bargain deal for bona fide baseball fans. Tickets cost $12 to $26 and are half-price on Mondays (kids get in for $1 on certain Sun games).

U.S. Cellular Field is at 333 W. 35th St. (tel. 312/674-1000; www.whitesox.mlb.com), in the South Side neighborhood of Bridgeport. To get Sox tickets, call Ticketmaster at tel. 866/SOX-GAME or visit the ticket office, open Monday through Friday from 10am to 6pm, Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 4pm, except on game days, when it opens at 9am. To get to the ballpark by subway/El, take the Red Line to Sox/35th Street.

Basketball

Do not mention the name Jerry Reinsdorf or Jerry Krause to a Chicago sports fan unless you want to be pummeled like a speed bag. The owner and general manager, respectively, of the Chicago Bulls were -- fairly or not -- castigated by the public and local press after dismantling the world-famous six-time NBA championship Chicago Bulls following the 1998 season. We had grown to take for granted the frenzied celebrations in the street that inevitably occurred each June in the wake of the latest championship crown. It was a wonderful boost for a perennially pessimistic sports-loving metropolis, and a rare, indelible moment when the city's white and black populations seemed to embrace in simple camaraderie and festivity.

So you can imagine what a jolt it has been to hear about the Bulls losing 5, 10, or 15 games in a row, year after year. The United Center, 1901 W. Madison St. (tel. 312/455-4500; www.chicagosports.com), where the Bulls play, feels like an airplane hangar-size funeral parlor these days. For the time being, tickets, once impossible to come by, are worth about as much as the paper they're printed on. So grab yourself a courtside seat -- there are plenty to go around.

The DePaul Blue Demons, the local college team and an NCAA tournament selection last season, are a far better bet for a good game. They play mostly at the Allstate Arena, 6920 N. Mannheim Rd., Rosemont (tel. 773/325-7526), although some of their games are at the United Center.

Football

The Chicago Bears play at a newly renovated Soldier Field, Lake Shore Drive and 16th Street (tel. 847/615-2327; www.chicagobears.com). Although the project was controversial (raising the usual uproar about tax dollars being used to fund a privately owned sports team), the original stadium, built to commemorate the soldiers of World War I, was undeniably shabby and low on amenities. The stadium's most distinctive feature -- its classically-inspired colonnade -- was retained, but a giant addition that looks somewhat like a spaceship was crammed awkwardly on top. Architecturally, it's a disaster. But from a comfort perspective, the place is much improved -- although that doesn't impress long-time fans that prided themselves on surviving blistering cold game days and horrifying bathrooms.

Bears fans still reminisce about the 1985 Mike Ditka-led team's NFL championship like it happened yesterday. But the current Bears are no longer the notorious "Monsters of the Midway" who battered opponents into submission under the aegis of NFL founding father and legendary coach George "Papa Bear" Halas. Nor are they the gridiron warriors immortalized by hard-hitting linebacker Dick Butkus, or the fun-loving "Shufflin' Crew" led by Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton, the league's all-time rushing leader. But there is still something quintessentially Chicago about grilling up ribs and brats in the parking lot before the Bears go to battle against our arch enemy, the Green Bay Packers. Just make sure you dump a pint of peppermint schnapps in that thermos of hot chocolate before you experience "Bear Weather" for the first time.

The Northwestern Wildcats play Big Ten college ball at Ryan Field, 1501 Central St., in nearby Evanston (tel. 847/491-CATS).

Hockey

The Chicago Blackhawks have a devoted, impassioned following of fans that work themselves into a frenzy with the first note of the "Star Spangled Banner." But don't expect any heroics on ice along the lines of past Hawks legends such as Bobby Hull and Tony Esposito. Any player that turns into a star and, hence, earns the right to restructure his contract for a higher salary is immediately traded by penny-pinching owner Bill Wirtz -- derided by fans and local sportswriters as "Dollar Bill." The Blackhawks play at the United Center, 1901 W. Madison St. (tel. 312/455-4500; www.chicagoblackhawks.com).

For a more affordable and family-friendly experience, catch the semipro Chicago Wolves at Allstate Arena (tel. 847/724-GOAL, www.chicagowolves.com). The team has been consistently excellent over the past few years, and the games are geared toward all ages, with fireworks before the show and plenty of on- and off-ice entertainment.

Horse Racing

Thoroughbred racing happens at Arlington International Racecourse, 2200 W. Euclid Ave., in Arlington Heights (tel. 847/255-4300; www.arlingtonpark.com), and Hawthorne Race Track, 3501 S. Laramie Ave., in Stickney (tel. 708/780-3700).

Soccer

Chicago's major-league soccer team, the Chicago Fire, plays at Soldier Field from late May through October (tel. 888/MLS-FIRE; www.chicago-fire.com). Games have a family feel, with plenty of activities for kids and affordable ticket prices ($15-$30).