First Take bloviators Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless are basically the Tweedledee and Tweedledum of ESPN.
Bayless is a guy who recently said Kobe Bryant's 2003 rape charge gave him marketing "sizzle." Smith is a guy who, in the heat of the NFL's Ray Rice scandal last autumn, said women should examine the role they play in instigating instances of domestic violence. Smith also once took to Twitter to rip an Onion article he thought was real.
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With the Women's World Cup in full swing, it was only a matter of time before one of them said something offensive and stupid. Now, that time has come.
Smith was on air for Sportscenter's Friday top 10 plays countdown, one of which was a gorgeous free kick scored by Norway's Maren Mjelde against Germany on Thursday to secure a 1-1 draw for her side.
Speculating about how Germany allowed the goal, Smith offered this cogent analysis: "They might not have wanted to mess their hair up."
Then, in case you missed it the first time, he repeated his hypothesis.
Unsurprisingly, Smith was ripped far and wide across the Internet. But the most impactful criticism may have come from ESPN The Magazine editor Megan Greenwell, who spoke for many inside and outside the sports entertainment behemoth, when she sent Smith this message via Twitter.
hey @stephenasmith, your many female colleagues really don't appreciate you making sexist jokes on air. http://t.co/Ery1Ng4QIR— Megan Greenwell (@megreenwell) June 12, 2015
Smith apologized for his failed joke via Twitter later Friday afternoon.
1-of-3: Folks, as usual, something I've said is gaining steam so let me address this right now: on @SportsCenter, doing highlights, I made a— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) June 12, 2015
Flip comment in fun about a women's soccer team not wanting to mess up their hair. Obviously, my comments were in poor taste. I have nothing— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) June 12, 2015
But the utmost respect for athletes of all genders -- Especially since most are better than I'll ever be -- so please KNOW I'm very sorry.— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) June 12, 2015
One can only wonder what brilliant insights Smith or Bayless will deliver next.