



Barack Obama is one of the bigger sports fans to ever occupy the oval office, but when it comes to the NFL's negotiations with the NFL Players Association, the president hopes that the two sides can avoid a lockout without his help. With both sides meeting in Washington D.C. this week, Obama was asked if he'd be interested in helping to broker a deal.

His answer? Not really. "We've got owners, most of whom are worth close to $1 billion, you've got players who are making millions of dollars," he told reporters. "My working assumption at a time when people are having to cut back, compromise, and worry about making the mortgage and, you know, paying for their kids' college education, is that the two parties should be able to work it out without the president of the united states intervening."

Eh, okay. So he has a pretty good point there. Asking Obama to intervene on behalf of the public isn't quite as ridiculous as asking him to broker a deal between CBS and Charlie Sheen, but it's close. If the situation deteriorates and there's no deal by August, then maybe things will be different. But for now, between the deteriorating situation in Libya, the economy, and the labor protests in Wisconsin, it's understandable if Obama thinks his plate is too full.

"I'm a big football fan," added Obama, "But I also think that for an industry that's making $9 billion a year in revenue, they can figure out how to divide it up in a sensible way." Yes, you would think. Alas...



