Citing a global shortage of helium due to sanctions put on Russia as a result of that country’s ongoing war with Ukraine, the University of Nebraska will be ending its long-standing tradition of releasing helium-filled red balloons to celebrate the Cornhuskers first touchdown.
Since the early 1960s, balloons have been handed out to fans near entrances to the university’s 90,000-plus seat Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. On a radio show on Monday, May 23rd, athletic director Trev Alberts said that NU is hoping that the helium saved from the elimination of the balloons tradition instead to the University of Nebraska Medical Center for medical use.
The release of balloons had been criticized for the better part of the last decade because of environmental concerns. A lawsuit filed in 2016 claimed the balloons were a hazard to birds and other forms of wildlife after the balloons returned to the ground.
The home opener for the 2022 Cornhusker football team is scheduled for September 3rd against the University of North Dakota.
