Pyro Points

[waadle]

"Welcome to Pyro Points, UIC's exciting new rewards program. Pyro Points is to recognize and reward points to UIC students for their unwavering school spirit and involvement on-campus at various events. We have created an exciting rewards program to encourage our students to attend UIC events. We want our students to have vibrant experiences and meet new students.

With a wide range of exclusive merchandise and special experiences, Pyro Points offers something for everyone. Join us today and let us show our appreciation for your level of involvement at UIC. Together, we will create unforgettable memories with Pyro Points."      /directly from their email

Dont know how many of you are still students but seems like athletics is trying to incentivise going to sporting and music events at UIC. Can't see rewards yet but seems like a cool idea.

Also I wanted to mention the tailgate on Friday, there will be free beer and food! 

[Big D]

UIC is famous for starting something and then letting it fade away rather quickly. I swear they tried this rewards program before and poof…just disappeared.

The Pyros have been a joke of a student fan organization. Quite literally, if we get more than 5 Pyros at a game, it’s a good night. With 35,000 students, that is shocking to me. UIC has done itself no favors by not fielding a good program in 20 years. You need some NCAA tourney seasons occasionally to capture a generation of new fans. My first year was our 1st ever tourney year…and I was hooked. How many other fans here became fans during our good run in the late 90s/early 00s? How many new fans (that aren’t family members) have joined us the past 15 years?

Anyway, I hope they stick with this…and offer something worthwhile. I assume you’re a student. If so, what kind of rewards would you like to see them offer? What will realistically get students to the games? A t-shirt isn’t going to get people there. Money/gift cards/bookstore credits/free food? That may do it. Just require them to show up on time and stay the full game.

[waadle]

Im not even sure the pyros still exist, I was at every home basketball game last year and never saw them. My guess is that covid lead to the fall of the pyros.

There is interest in the teams though, there was a large turnout for the mens soccer playoff match this weekend and a large turnout last year at the homecoming game. I think that the homecoming game has to be a game we always win. This is the game that the most uic students attend to so let them see a win and maybe they will continue to come. But admins and athletics seem to think people will showup to watch a team lose year after year. I mean when was the last time the basketball team was competing for something?

I think pyro points will incentivise people to attend in the short term but even just having a decent team that can compete will keep fans in the long run. In terms of rewards, I think you nailed it, rewards will most likely be free merch,food and probably those courtside seat that they can never fill. In an earlier promotion, they were giving away soccer scarfs but you had to check in and wait until halftime and you would get the scarf, some people left but many stayed and watched UIC beat Marquette. UIUC has had a similar system, Oskee Rewards, in place for a while now, im surprised its taken this long to get implemented in UIC. Hopefully we can get an app too instead of QR codes.

Apart from this I kinda think the Pyros points name sucks. The school needs to do more with Sparky. Even if its just an alternative logo, I prefer to see a dragon than just some boring letters.