Sioux Falls Business Journal

Growing up in University of Nebraska territory, there were certain traditions.

Back when the Cornhuskers understood defense, it was expected that NU’s football team would win what was then the Big 8 conference title.

Oftentimes, it did.

And before the current Bowl Championship Series mucked up the system of picking which teams head to which post-season bowl games, there were certain agreements in place.

Among those was the automatic bid of the Big 8 champion to play in the Orange Bowl.

Somewhere along the way, my parents developed a tradition of buying me and my siblings new Husker sweatshirts as one of our Christmas gifts.

And if the football season ended as expected, then us kids knew that year’s sweatshirts would feature the Orange Bowl’s logo – an exuberant reminder that the Huskers were heading to Miami on New Year’s Day.

Now, those were the heydays, but I digress.

At any rate, on one particular Christmas in the ’80s, my parents gave me and my brother – gasp! – “FedEx Orange Bowl” sweatshirts.

I remember being rather startled as I stared at this intrusion on my beloved tradition.

It seems that a corporate deal had been struck. Money had been exchanged. And the bowl game had a new name.

Being the angst-ridden teenager that I had become, I loathed the thought of becoming a captive, walking billboard.

And then I got over it.

Over time, I started understanding that having a new name, logo and corporate sponsorship wasn’t the end of civilization after all. It was business. And as the relationship helped finance player spotlights, trivia moments and other TV nifties that I liked, then the change actually displayed benefits.

And the sweatshirts retained their status as one of my prized possessions.

I thought about that as I picked up my grandmother recently as she arrived in Sioux Falls for her latest visit. The conversation during the drive to my house revolved around that evening’s entertainment options, including the – gasp! – Avera Parade of Lights.

Giving Gran a quick update on some of Sioux Falls’ headlines since her Labor Day trip, I mentioned that recent news items included reaction by some Sioux Falls residents who were a little taken back that Avera McKennan Hospital’s name now headlines the annual festival.

At 80 years old, Gran only chuckles at such contention. Sioux Falls residents sometimes worry over the silliest things, she said.

Though agreeing that the parade’s renaming likely won’t make the list of Top 10 news stories for 2007, I admitted to myself later that evening that I understood some of the discontent.

Traditions, you see, are a personal thing. Intimate. And belonging to one’s self in ways that often can’t be explained.

And when someone changes them, especially without your knowledge or permission, it’s easily an unsettling experience.

But here’s another thing. Change can be good – eventually. If we just give it a chance.

Turns out that Gran and I skipped the parade, after all. We were leaving for Minneapolis the next morning and had some preparations to finish.

Our trip, which was a departure from me spending Thanksgiving weekend with my parents, was grand.

Next year, hopefully, we can add the parade.