Florida revives ‘gator bait’ cheer 6 years after it was banned because of ‘racist imagery’

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The University of Florida revived its “gator bait” cheer Saturday night during its season opener, bringing it back more than six years after the school banned it because of “horrific historic racist imagery” associated with the phrase.

New school president Stuart Bell said in June that “traditions matter” and hinted that the cheer could return because “it’s meaningful to the Gator family.”

It returned to the Swamp early in the first quarter against Florida Atlantic — and was welcomed with a raucous reception. It was far from a surprise because clips of Florida’s band practicing the accompanying tune were shared on social media this week.

Former Florida president Kent Fuchs announced in June 2020 that Florida’s band would no longer play the musical cue prompting fans to chant “gator bait” because of concerns about possible racial undertones. Art depicting alligator hunters using Black babies to lure the animals into the open was popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

The decision came amid a broader national reckoning on race following the murder of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis in May 2020.

Many Florida fans met Fuchs’ decree with disdain, arguing the cheer was a tradition and never performed with any racist intentions.

Bell seemed to agree. He was Florida’s sole finalist as president after the school began its third search in four years in December 2025. Florida’s Board of Governors rejected the selection of Dr. Santa Ono, the former president of the University of Michigan, in June 2025.

Bell took over a school that eliminated all diversity, equity and inclusion positions in 2024 after a new state rule that prohibited the addition of such programs.

Florida closed the Office of the Chief Diversity Officer and stopped DEI-focused contracts with external vendors. The $5 million in annual funds previously allocated for UF’s DEI initiatives, including salaries and expenditures, was placed into a faculty recruitment fund.

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