In a recent announcement, the University of Florida has discontinued the infamous “Gator Bait” cheer at its sporting events. This move, spearheaded by President Kent Fuchs, aims to address the racist imagery associated with the phrase. Critics of the move claim no evidence associates racism with the cheer.

The “Gator Bait” cheer, often accompanied by the iconic Gator chomp arm motion, has long been a tradition at UF sporting events. However, recent scrutiny of its historical context has prompted the university to take action, recognizing the need to confront uncomfortable truths about the past, the Florida Times-Union reported.

President Fuchs, in his statement, highlighted the horrific racist imagery connected to the phrase, leading to the decision to discontinue its use by University Athletics and the Gator Band.

“While I know of no evidence of racism associated with our “Gator Bait” cheer at UF sporting events, there is horrific historic racist imagery associated with the phrase,” Fuchs wrote in a UF statement titled “Another Step Toward Positive Change Against Racism. “Accordingly, University Athletics and the Gator Band will discontinue the use of the cheer.”

The decision has sparked a mixture of reactions, with some expressing disappointment at the loss of a beloved tradition and others applauding the university’s commitment to addressing racism and inequality. The move comes amidst a broader national conversation about racial injustice, prompting institutions like UF to re-evaluate their practices and symbols.

The controversy surrounding the “Gator Bait” cheer stems from its historical association with the barbaric practice of using Black babies as bait for alligators during slavery and into the 20th century. While some argue that these incidents are merely urban legends, others point to historical accounts and documentation that support their existence.

The Miami New Times published an article in 2014 that read, “It has been pretty well documented recently that, during slavery and into the 20th Century, Black babies were used as alligator bait in North and Central Florida.”

According to the article, babies were stolen from their slave mothers and then tied to a stick with a “rope around their neck and around their torsos,” and put into the water to attract alligators.

Besides the article there are other sources that also lists several accounts of such incidents.

The The Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Mich., for example, features multiple illustrated images of Black babies next to alligators, Sporting News reported.

Photo of gator chop via YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Af8_bvyDDTE