"Stepping" — a dance form defined by clapping and stomping — has long been a staple of African American sororities. So when an all-white team took first place (and $100,000 in scholarships) at the Sprite Step Off competition, a traditionally all-black event, cries of cultural theft erupted. College fraternalism expert Lawrence C. Ross Jr. calls the surprise result "the first assault on yet another African-American cultural tradition." Others, however, welcome the win by University of Arkansas' Zeta Tau Alpha as a breakthrough for equality. In an apparent effort to cool the controversy, Sprite later announced a "scoring discrepancy" on Facebook, and declared the outcome a tie, awarding an additional $100,000 prize to the black Alpha Kappa Alpha Tau team. Watch Zeta Tau Alpha's "Matrix"-inspired performance below:
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The launch of the world’s first weight-loss pillSpeed Read Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have been racing to release the first GLP-1 pill
-
Maduro’s capture: two hours that shook the worldTalking Point Evoking memories of the US assault on Panama in 1989, the manoeuvre is being described as the fastest regime change in history
-
Six sensational hotels to discover in 2026The Week Recommends From a rainforest lodge to a fashionable address in Manhattan – here are six hotels that travel journalists recommend for this year
