09/06/2026
And the band played GatorBait!
Florida's 'gator bait' cheer, banned in '20, revived at opener
* Associated Press
Sep 5, 2026, 08:34 PM ET
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- 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.
