President Barack Obama urged the NHL and NHLPA to “figure it out” when Jay Leno asked about the lockout in late October, yet he was prompted to address the issue once again as 2012 winds down.
Obama gave a more extended take on the impasse during an interview with Minneapolis’ WCCO-TV on Thursday (via CBC).
“My message to owners and to players is, ‘You guys make a lot of money and you make a lot of money on the backs of fans, so do right by your fans. You can figure out how to spread out a bunch of revenue that you’re bringing in, but do right by the people who support you,”’ Obama said. “And I shouldn’t have to be involved in a dispute between really wealthy players and even wealthier owners. They should be able to settle this themselves. And remember who it is that’s putting all that money in their pockets.”
Again, this is (at least) the second time Obama has discussed the work stoppage.
Hopefully the two sides will patch things up so his name will only come up if Washington Capitals fans need to heckle Tim Thomas again.
In case you’re bored, here’s that clip from his appearance on The Tonight Show in October: