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Turns out men at ESPN can't tell their female colleagues What Not to Wear on-air.

Hannah Storm, left, co-host of "SportsCenter" has been known for sporting some pretty un-newscasterly outfits, but it was these boots -- red, knee-high, kitten-heeled -- that sent her colleague Tony Kornheiser, co-host of ESPN's "Pardon the Interruption," walking after he took aim at her outfit on his Feb. 16 radio show:

"I'd like to point out Hannah Storm in a horrifying, horrifying outfit today," he said. "She's got on red go-go boots and a Catholic school plaid skirt way too short for somebody in her 40s or maybe early 50s by now."

He then compared Storm to a "sausage casing," before recanting: "I mean, I know she's very good, and I'm not supposed to be critical of ESPN people ... but Hannah Storm today, come on, now! Stop! What are you doing? It's what I would call a Holden Caulfield fantasy at that point."

The facts: Hannah Storm is 47. Kornheiser, despite lobbing an apology soon after his out-of-line comments ("I'm a troll, look at me. I have no right to insult what anybody looks like or what anybody wears!"), was suspended by the network today.

And while we consider his "time out" one small slap for a man who stuck his fashion opinions in where they don't belong, and one giant boot stride forward for womankind, not everyone is inclined to agree with us.


"A big part of Kornheiser's shtick is making jokes about media personalities (including himself)," wrote our friends at Fanhouse today, "and if Kornheiser isn't allowed to have fun at the expense of ESPN colleagues from time to time, both his radio show and 'Pardon the Interruption' are going to be a lot less entertaining. From that perspective, the suspension is probably a little harsh."

In truth, the rant raises many an issue -- and not just how long Kornheiser should be forced to cool his heels.
We wonder: Should newscasters be held to a higher fashion standard? According to a source nabbed by Deadspin, after Kornheiser's rant, ESPN executives asked Storm to retire her red boots. They've supposedly also asked that she deep-six two other articles of previous offense -- a fuchsia poet-sleeve blouse and a plaid V-neck button-down deemed too "Daisy Duke."

Is Storm too old to wear what we would argue are regrettable get-ups on anyone? Is any woman for that matter? And what sort of message does Kornheiser's "shtick" send to Storm's three daughters -- and the millions of women out there for whom she's one of the lone female sportscasters they see on ESPN?

Because, for us, that's the crux of the issue: While we, too, would prefer to see those tacky red boots burned, the thought of a male colleague policing a 47-year-old woman's wardrobe -- especially a woman who has broken numerous barriers in sports journalism -- is enough to make us swallow our pride and stride around in icky hooker boots in support of her.

Then again, maybe the boots themselves are to blame. After all, the last time a pair of tall boots sent this many tongues wagging was 2005, when then–Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sported black knee-high heeled boots to Wiesbaden Army Airfield in Germany, birthing a million fashion critics concerned about her "sexy" footwear.

What do you think: Is Hannah's on-air wear too out-there? And was Kornheiser's rant flat-out sexist -- or purely provocative?

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Katie Hintz-Zambrano is a San Francisco–based freelance writer covering fashion, music and health for AOL's StyleList, Style.com, Elle.com, Details, Nylon and Vibe. Although she supports Hannah Storm's right to wear tight, knee-high red boots, she much prefers ballet flats and Jack Purcell sneakers.