Home / Sports / Gator Bait Roars Back: Florida Football Revives Controversial Cheer
Gator Bait Roars Back: Florida Football Revives Controversial Cheer
6 Sep
Summary
- The 'Gator Bait' cheer was reinstated at Florida football games in 2026.
- Former UF President Kent Fuchs banned the cheer in June 2020 due to racist associations.
- Current UF President Stuart Bell expressed openness to the cheer's return in June 2025.
The University of Florida marching band played the "Gator Bait" cheer during the 2026 season opener against Florida Atlantic, marking its return to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. This event follows a significant period of discussion and a ban that was enacted in June 2020.
Former UF President Kent Fuchs prohibited the cheer, citing its historical connections to racist imagery. Research from Ferris State University's Jim Crow Museum indicates that "alligator bait" was used in late 19th and early 20th-century materials depicting African American babies, and also as a slur against Black individuals.
Despite the historical context, Florida defensive legend Lawrence Wright, who popularized the chant in 1995, defended its significance to the "Gator Nation." He argued that the chant was about the team's success and identity, not racism, expressing his disappointment with the 2020 decision.
The possibility of reinstating the cheer resurfaced in June 2025 when current UF President Stuart Bell, then the sole finalist for the presidency, expressed his openness to bringing it back. Bell, who previously served as president of the University of Alabama for ten years, has now overseen the cheer's return.
