I don't mind anyone having a cigarette outside the bar. I am glad that lawmakers changed the tradition of a smoke filled bar. I also am glad that most smokers dispose of their cigarette butts appropriately instead of just flicking them on the ground and littering.
Many birds, amphibians, and fish suffer because of plastics and synthetic materials being left in inappropriate places in the environment. If a Nebraska football tradition is contributing to harming wildlife and ecosystems then I am happy if it is ceased. Finding a biodegradable helium filled floating alternative seems reasonable. My kids know better than to litter on purpose, and most adults do as well.
The environmental science/biology background I have, as well as being related to a couple of veterinarians, forces me to say the current tradition needs tweaked or abandoned. If you argue that I don't have to participate, but don't tell you that you shouldn't, then I would agree up until you are doing something to harm something that I have been educated to defend. This is not a political battle. This is a "don't smoke in my house or leave your butts in my yard" issue. My view may be of the minority, but hopefully my view is respected.