Florida band told to stop playing popular penalty chant

By foxsports
Published

The pageantry of any college football game is often enhanced by a school's band. The unit gets the crowd amped with popular tunes, and also thrills with traditional songs. 

According to WUFT, the Florida Gator Band will have to curtail its choice of material. 

When the opposing team is penalized, the band plays "You Can't Do That." The student section has chosen to alter those words, offering up a more foul sentiment. As a result, the band was asked not to perform this specific song. 

"The reason why [the song] has stopped is because there have been too many complaints from fans to the athletic department that the student section was saying something else that the fans thought was vulgar and inappropriate," said UF Associate Director of Athletic Bands Jay Watkins. 

This directly correlates with the image of the university. It doesn't want to be portrayed in a negative light. It also alters a song which had been a staple of the band performance for years. 

"This is a frustrating decision for all and a perfect example of how a few complaints or a few individuals doing the wrong thing negatively affect a great 10-year tradition," said Watkins. 

 

(h/t WUFT)