( CNN ) -- What 's the age at which older men are no longer allowed to compliment women in their 20s on being beautiful ? Is there an age when such compliments go from nice to creepy ? And is there a similar rule that bars older women from calling younger men `` handsome '' ? We ask because of the uproar that erupted this week when 73-year-old ESPN sportscaster Brent Musburger made a slew of comments -- on air -- about the beauty of 23-year-old Katherine Webb , the reigning Miss Alabama . He did this during Monday 's national championship college football game between Alabama and Notre Dame ; Webb is dating Alabama quarterback A.J . McCarron and was in the stands for the game . Here 's what he said when the cameras focused on Webb during the broadcast : `` ... you see that lovely lady there ? She does go to Auburn , I 'll admit that , but she 's also Miss Alabama , and that 's A.J . McCarron 's girlfriend . Wow , I 'm telling ya , you quarterbacks , you get all the good-looking women . What a beautiful woman ! Whoa ! So if you 're a youngster in Alabama , start getting the football out and throw it around the backyard with pops . '' And boom ! Cue the controversy . People attacked Musburger as `` creepy , '' for ogling her too much , for being a `` dirty old man , '' for being sexist , inappropriate , and more . One publication even went so far as to claim that Musburger 's comments are `` evidence '' of `` a culture of domestic violence and sexual assault in football . '' Katherine Webb : Media unfair to Musburger . The attacks on Musburger reached such a deafening crescendo that ESPN issued a statement : `` We apologize that the commentary in this instance went too far and Brent understands that . '' I 'm glad Brent understands it , because I do n't . Can someone please explain to me where Musburger went too far ? Musburger did n't imitate Howard Stern and evaluate Webb 's physical attributes part by part so he could decide if she was attractive enough to pose for Playboy ? Musburger did n't utter a truly creepy remark like Matt Lauer did when recently interviewing actress Anne Hathaway after her wardrobe malfunction and opening the interview with his comment : `` Seen a lot of you lately . '' Musburger did n't continue with a running commentary of Webb 's beauty during the telecast . He did n't abandon the announcer booth and run down to the stands in the hopes of getting a date with her . Nope , he just made a few comments about Ms. Webb 's beauty in the span of 15 to 20 seconds . But in this day of instant outrage and instant access to social media to vent it , that was enough to create a media storm . News : Game ? What game ? There 's a pretty woman in the stands . The only criticism that 's arguably fair is Musburger 's implication that if you are great quarterback , you will have earned a beautiful woman -- a reward , more than a human being . If that had been Musburger 's intention , that , of course , would have been wrong . However , if you listen to the actual broadcast , you can clearly tell from Musburger 's tone that that was not his point . C'mon , we all know the difference between when people are being playful and when they are being hateful . By objecting to mere playfulness , well-intentioned people are going to undermine their credibility when they latter offer criticism on issues that really are objectionable . And let 's be brutally honest : If Musburger had been a 73-year-old woman and gushed over how handsome a 23-year-old man was , would there be any uproar at all ? Of course not . But for those who still have issues with Musburger , maybe Webb 's own comments on Wednesday morning 's `` Today '' show will sway you : `` I think the media has been really unfair to [ Musburger ] ... If he would 've said something along the line that we were hot or sexy or made any derogatory statements like that , I think that would 've been a little bit different , but the fact that he said that we were beautiful and gorgeous , I do n't see why any woman would n't be flattered by that . '' And Webb 's parents have even come to the defense of the sports announcer . Indeed , her father 's comments to the media I think best sum up the entire situation : `` ... he was trying to be complimentary , and I think they need to give Brent a break . '' The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Dean Obeidallah .
Brent Musburger commented on air that a player 's girlfriend was `` lovely '' Dean Obeidallah asks : Why should ESPN have apologized for the remark ? Obeidallah : Would a 73-year-old woman be slammed for such a comment about a man ? The comments were made in an interview with host Brent Musburger.