In the wake of worldwide protests against racial injustice, several major college football programs have announced that they will discontinue traditional songs and cheers that may have racist connotations or origins.
On Thursday, University of Florida president Kent Fuchs announced that the “Gator Bait” cheer will be discontinued at games, explaining that while there is “no evidence of racism associated” with the cheer, there is “horrific historic racist imagery associated with the phrase.” Fuchs also announced that UF will review honorary namings on campus to determine if they should be “retained or removed.”
The University of Georgia band will no longer play “Tara’s Theme” from “Gone With The Wind” as a signature song at games, and will instead play “Georgia On My Mind.” Georgia Redcoat Band director Brett Bawcum wrote that the change was made to create a “welcoming environment” and that “the current social climate has highlighted the urgency of addressing it and made me conscious of the message that could be interpreted by delay.”
Please see a message to the Redcoat Band community from acting director Brett Bawcum. pic.twitter.com/RqGBwrOsOy
— UGA Redcoat Band (@UGARedcoatBand) June 18, 2020
At the University of Texas, players have called on the administration to replace “The Eyes of Texas” as the school song. Texas athletes are required to sing the song, written in 1903, was first performed at minstrel shows.
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