Save Parades for No. 1

I was watching today’s downtown parade for the Utes on TV, and it confirmed my suspicions of a week ago: I’m against it.
It’s not like I can’t appreciate what the Utes did this year. It was a major accomplishment to win the Sugar Bowl. It’s just that they finished the season ranked second nationally in one poll, fourth in another, and I always figured parades were for finishing first.
To me, having a parade for finishing second and/or winning a bowl game — other than the national championship game ? makes Salt Lake look like Yahooville. The sort of thing they’d do in smaller towns, where they have parades for almost anything that draws attention.
They say you’re supposed to act like you’ve been there, and in a sense the Utes have. They’ve already won a BCS bowl and finished high in the rankings (2004-2005). You don’t need a parade to prove it was a great year. There was also a parade in 1998 when the Utes finished second in the NCAA basketball tournament.
What are they going to do if they ever win a national championship? Give all government employees the day off? Close the schools?
I don’t know if they held a parade in Buffalo the years the Bills almost won the Super Bowl, but I hope not.
There’s much to admire about any team that ends the year ranked second. Especially when it arguably should be No. 1. But that doesn’t make the Utes the national champs.
Having such a parade also muddies the water on celebrations. Where does the parading end? What if you finish third? Does a fifth-place finish warrant a parade or just a declaration from the governor?
I say make a hard and fast rule: Only hold parades when you win it all ? be it Jazz, Cougars, Utes, Aggies or anyone else.
Is that setting the bar too high?