Nebraska football is as central to Nebraskan culture as the land itself. And following the re-introduction of the Nebraskan football tradition to release balloons after the team’s first touchdown, controversy began.

The balloon tradition started in Nebraska in the early 1960s, and their incorporation was noted as being a magical experience for everyone in the stadium. Timur Guliev ‘26 said, “When the balloons were released it felt like I entered a whole new world.” The synchronized release of ballons quickly turned the whole sky red in celebration of the first Nebraskan touchdown.

These fantasies were cut short however, following protests from climate activist. The tradition was cancelled indefinitely in May 2022. This was caused by the balloons being found as litter across the Midwest, even as far as Michigan and North Dakota.

Many social media posts have been made regarding these concerns of littering, especially in the Lincoln area and the surrounding cities.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln also cited helium shortages as the cause of the tradition ending, alongside the environmental concerns. All of this brought on many questions with the re-introduction of the event at this year’s first Husker game against the Colorado Buffaloes.

Following the re-introduction of the tradition Nebraska made a statement saying that it will return in the future, with the chance of it only happening on “special occasions” much to the dismay of environmentalists and fans across the state.