Gators bring back ‘gator bait’ chant that had been banned for ‘horrific historic racist imagery’

In Florida’s 66-21 victory over Florida Atlantic on Saturday, the university allowed a controversial chant to return. Florida’s “gator bait” chant was revived during the season-opening matchup, six years after it was banned because of its “horrific, historic, racist imagery,” per a report by ESPN.

The Gator Bait cheer is officially back at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium

The UF marching band performed the cheer at the start of FAU’s second drive in the #Gators season opener

The cheer had been banned in June 2020 due to the “historical racist imagery associated with the phrase”… pic.twitter.com/w6d8FsBg0C

— Noah Ram (@Noah_ram1) September 6, 2026

The “gator bait” chant was ultimately brought back in June, before the football season, by new president Stuart Bell. Bell became president of the University of Florida on July 1 following a search for the next president that started in December of 2025. Bell stated in an interview with 1010XL Gators in June that he was open to bringing the controversial banned chant back.

“I know there’s a lot around the gator bait and I, you know, I think that’s exciting. It’s meaningful to the Gator family and I hope that we’re able to have some really great conversations around that.”

The chant occurred in the first quarter of the game and was captured on video by Noah Ram, who posted it to his X account. The chant was banned in 2020 by former University of Florida president Kent Funches. The ban and the link to racial undertones were largely due to art depicting “alligator hunters using Black babies to lure the animals into the open,” according to ESPN’s report.

University of Florida fans who had negative opinions about the ban on the chant expressed their approval on social media on Saturday, with video of the chant occurring during the matchup against Florida Atlantic receiving viral acclaim on X.

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