The University of Florida has reinstated its “Gator Bait” cheer after a six-year absence, bringing the controversial tradition back during the Gators’ season-opening American football match against Florida Atlantic.
The university’s marching band played the musical cue early in the first quarter at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville on Saturday, September 5, prompting supporters to join in. The return was greeted by a loud response from the crowd.
Florida went on to defeat Florida Atlantic 66-21 in the first game under new head coach Jon Sumrall. The match was also the 19th consecutive sell-out at the stadium, known to fans as the Swamp.
Why the Gator Bait cheer was banned
The cheer was discontinued in June 2020 by then-president Kent Fuchs, who cited what he called “horrific historic racist imagery” linked to the phrase.
Historical artwork from the late 19th and early 20th centuries depicted Black children being used as bait to lure alligators. The decision came during a national reckoning over race following the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis.
Many Florida supporters opposed the ban, arguing that the cheer had long been used as a sporting tradition and was not intended to carry a racist meaning.
Its revival was widely anticipated after clips of the university band rehearsing the accompanying music circulated on social media earlier in the week.
New university president Stuart Bell had suggested in June that the cheer could return, saying that traditions mattered to the campus community and that it was meaningful to the “Gator family”.
