- Puck bunny
A puck bunny is a female
ice hockey fan, often one whose interest in the sport is primarily motivated bysexual attraction to the players rather than enjoyment of the game itself [Nallainathan, Maurika. "Puck Bunnies". The Vancouver Observer. November 16, 2006. http://www.thevancouverobserver.com/cgi-bin/show_sitemap_article.cgi?ID=46] . Primarily aCanadian term, it gained popular currency in the 21st century, and in 2004 was added to the second edition of theCanadian Oxford Dictionary which defines it as follows [cite web| title = 5,000 new words| publisher =CBC News | date = 2004-07-24| url = http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/language/| accessdate = 2008-03-14 ] :Puck bunny: a young female hockey fan, especially one motivated more by a desire to meet the players than by an interest in hockey. [cite book| last = Barber| first = Katherine | title = Canadian Oxford Dictionary, 2nd Edition| publisher = Oxford University Press| date = January 20, 2005| pages = | isbn = 978-0195418163 ]
The term is somewhat analogous to the term
groupie as it relates torock and roll musicians. Sociological studies of the phenonenon in minor league hockey indicate that self-proclaimed "puck bunnies" are "'proud as punch' to have sex with the [players] ", as it confers social status on them. However, these transitory relationships are often contrasted with those ofgirlfriends , whom players have more stable, long-term relationships with. [cite book| last = Messner| first = Michael A.| title = Taking the Field: Women, Men, and Sports| publisher = University of Minnesota Press | date = 2002| pages = 45| isbn = 0816634491]Some sociology researchers dispute the stereotypes of "puck bunnies" — as Crawford and Gosling put it:
The term ‘puck bunny’, which is applied almost exclusively to female ice hockey fans, implies that these supporters are ‘inauthentic’, not ‘dedicated’ in their support, and are more interested in the sexual attractiveness of the players rather than the sport itself.
Their study suggests that female fans at games are just as knowledgeable as the male fans, and that the physical attractiveness of players does not play a significant role in attracting females to the sport.cite journal| last = Crawford | first = Garry | coauthors = Victoria K. Gosling| title = The Myth of the ‘Puck Bunny’| journal = Sociology| volume = 38| issue = 3| pages = 477–493| publisher = | location = | date = 2004| doi = 10.1177/0038038504043214] Nonetheless, some female fans object to the term, as they are often viewed and described as puck bunnies simply by their presence at a game, regardless of their true intentions or motivations. Other female fans embrace the use of the term as a way of making a distinction between a puck bunny and a "true" female fan of the sport.References
External links
* [http://www.cbc.ca/mvp/puckbunny/ CBC's "Puck Bunny" blog] for the television program "MVP"
* [http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071219.wdish19/BNStory/lifeFoodWine/ A journalist's account of Hockey Night in Canada]
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