Florida Gators banning ‘Gator Bait’ cheer because of the phrase’s ‘horrific historic racist imagery’

(Source tampabay.com)

In the wake of nationwide racial unrest, the University of Florida banned its famed “Gator Bait” cheer Thursday because the term’s racist history, which includes printed images and unsubstantiated accounts of black babies being used as hunting lures. “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,” school president Kent Fuchs said in a letter to the University of Florida community. “Accordingly University Athletics and the Gator Band will discontinue the use of the cheer.” Indeed, the history of the cheer appears to be harmless; the Gators credit its spread to a celebration of the program’s first national title in 1996. But the history of the term is anything but innocent. Stories from as far back as the 1880s mention American hunters borrowing black babies to use them to attract large reptiles. Other accounts from the time reference similar activities happening in Africa and Florida. University’s Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia — said the source material of those stories is questionable. But he believes there’s enough evidence to suggest the practice happened occasionally. “I don’t want to put a limit on the evil people do,” said Hughes, the museum’s multimedia specialist. Regardless, the phrase and imagery became a part of the Jim Crow era.

Postcards and prints of black children labeled “alligator bait” were sold in stores. So were knickknacks of black men being attacked by gators. And a pencil with a black child as its eraser and an alligator as its holder. “It’s hard to wrap your head around,” Hughes said. “This was really that common where we would send that stuff on postcards to people.”