UNL student government passes resolution to end balloon release at football games

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – University of Nebraska-Lincoln students have mixed opinions about the efforts to ban the balloon release celebration at home football games.

Red balloons are released from Memorial Stadium after the Husker football team’s first score.

And for the third time, UNL’s student government is looking to end the tradition.

On Wednesday night, the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska voted unanimously to end the balloon release.

“The student body had passed referenda in 2022, which opposed the release of the balloons,” said Luke McDermott, external vice president of ASUN. “So the student body was just reaffirming that.”

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He said the environmental impacts of the balloons led ASUN to pass the resolution.

“Even though they do use biodegradable balloons, those take around seven years to decompose and the strings aren’t biodegradable themselves,” McDermott said. “Not only is there impacts with it being on the ground and people can see it, but also, like, animals can eat it. They can kill animals.”

Evan Lauritsen, a senior at UNL, wants the tradition to stand.

“I think it’s a drop in the bucket compared to everything else when it comes to environmental protection,” he said of the balloons. “And it is one of the only traditions Nebraska has, so I think it should stay that way.”

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Two freshman students said seeing the balloon release happen this year was a full-circle moment.

“Definitely is a fun Husker tradition,” Jayden Chambers said. “It’s something you always remember as special to Memorial Stadium specifically.”

The ASUN doesn’t have the authority to end the tradition itself. It plans to take the resolution to the athletic department, hoping it will reevaluate the tradition.

McDermott said the goal is to spark conversation about the impacts.

And Chambers said she’ll support the Huskers whether the tradition stays or not.

“With or without the balloons, we’ll still show up and be Husker Nation,” she said.