Ole Miss marching band will no longer perform ‘Dixie’ on game day

The song was one of the unofficial anthems of the Confederacy during the Civil War.

The Ole Miss marching band will no longer perform the song "Dixie" during games, reportsMississippi Today.

The song was one of the unofficial anthems of the Confederacy during the Civil War. The decision to remove it from game-day performances applies to both pre-game and post-game. 

“The newly expanded and renovated Vaught-Hemingway Stadium will further highlight our best traditions and create new ones that give the Ole Miss Rebels the best home field advantage in college football,” Ole Miss athletic director Ross Bjork said in a statement to the Oxford Eagle. “Because the Pride of the South is such a large part of our overall experience and tradition, the Athletics Department asked them to create a new and modern pregame show that does not include Dixie and is more inclusive for all fans.”

The decision is meant to make the band’s performances “more inclusive” for fans. 

"We felt that it’s the right thing to do. It’s time to move forward," Ole Miss athletic director Ross Bjork said, according to Mississippi Today. "It fits in with where the university has gone in terms of making sure we follow our creed, core values of the athletic department, and that all people feel welcome.

In 2009, Ole Miss altered its fight song to discourage a controversial chant "the South will rise again."