Letting Go of a Tradition

A decades-long football tradition appears to be coming to an end. That is according to Nebraska athletic director Trev Albertson, who indicated helium-filled balloons will no longer be provided at the Memorial Stadium at football games.For many years stadium crowds would release the red balloons into the air when the Huskers scored the first touchdown of a game.The University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) student government has been attempting to put an end to the practice for some time, fearing the environmental impact of thousands of burst latex balloons falling from the sky and landing in fields, ending up in the ecosystem and some being consumed by wildlife.Last year, the UNL Association of Students voted to end the tradition.However, Albertson indicated the primary reason for the change was not environmental but practical, as helium has become harder to come by.“While we're still concerned about the environmental impact of the balloons, the reality is acquiring helium in today's day & age given some of the challenge and some of the production of it is really challenged and it's been hard to get,” said Albertson during the Husker’s “Sports Nightly” radio show.“And so, we've been asked by the university that the helium we are getting as a university we need to use for medical purposes at UNMC in Omaha. And so, we are this year not going to be providing the red balloons for the first time at Memorial Stadium.”Helium is an inert gas and has a number of industrial uses beyond making balloons float. Helium is used as an inert shield for arc welding, for pressurizing liquid-fueled rocket fuel tanks and in the production of semiconductor chipsIn the medical field, it can be used as part of a mix for respiratory treatments for asthma, bronchitis and other lung ailments. Liquid helium is used in MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) for cooling the powerful magnets.Given the importance of these uses and the ongoing supply change crisis that has bedeviled most industries, the cost of helium has continued to rise.Albertson stated that the athletic department is looking into possible alternatives to celebrate that first touchdown.

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