Obama's Chance Encounter with Press on Sports, Split Lip

In a chance encounter with the press outside the Oval Office, President Obama weighed in on issues ranging from the U.S. losing its bid to host the world cup, LeBron James and his formerly fat lip.

Mr. Obama told reporters, "I think it was the wrong decision" for FIFA, the international soccer governing body, to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.

In another sports-related opinion, the president weighed in on the infamous return of LeBron James who plays against his former Cleveland Cavaliers Thursday night. He said simply, "It's gonna be brutal."

Mr. Obama also told the group the stitches in his lip, which had been split open in a recent basketball game, have now been removed.

You'd think the press corps covering the White House would bump into Mr. Obama now and then but it turns out those chance encounters outside of official events are pretty rare; so much so that the president asked the reporters, "Hey guys, what are you doing here?"

Resident press corps comedian Mark Knoller of CBS radio joked, "We're here all the time."

The president and vice president were on their way to a meeting with newly-elected governors while reporters were on their way to a background briefing with senior officials.