Breaking Down Spring Break

Remember your Econ or Social Science classes where they talked
about the Law of Unintended Consequences? Turns out the law was on the books back in 1935 when, historians tell us, Spring Break was born.

It began as a conditioning program for men of the Colgate University swim team, a way to keep them in shape over the winter break. One kid’s Floridian father suggested they train in the spankin’ new municipal pool in Fort Lauderdale.

Today it represents more than a rite of spring; it’s a rite of passage that has seen crowds of over 200,000 descend on beaches like Daytona. It’s become high tide for marketers, with everybody from the Armed Forces to makers of energy drinks and body sprays out to fish where the fish are.

The rest of the world can just give us all a big U-S-A! Because Spring Break fever has spread, even to places not known for being a lot of laughs, like China. In Britain, it’s called “Reading Week.”

I guess some people just don’t know how to party.