Florida revives 'Gator Bait' cheer after six-year ban over racist imagery

The University of Florida revived its “Gator Bait” cheer during Saturday’s season opener against Florida Atlantic, which the Gators won 66-21, ending a six-year ban. Former president Kent Fuchs halted the band cue in 2020 because of racist imagery from the late 19th and early 20th centuries depicting Black children as alligator bait, a decision made amid the national racial reckoning after George Floyd’s murder. The phrase later became associated with Florida football after defensive star Lawrence Wright popularized it during the program’s 1990s championship era, and many fans argued that the modern cheer was a harmless tradition. New president Stuart Bell, who has emphasized the importance of tradition and taken office amid Florida’s retreat from diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, signaled in June that he was open to its return. The chant received a loud reception from fans after the band played its musical cue, while its revival continues to balance school tradition against the phrase’s racist historical associations.