the BigAmateurism monologues

Yesterday, the California Senate’s Appropriation Committee sent the “College Athlete Race and Gender Equity” revenue-sharing bill into the legislative equivalent of a black hole known as the “Suspense File.” This quirky procedure removes the bill from open debate and leaves its fate in the hands of a tiny group of Senators and staffers. This process is opaque and unpredictable. While the public cannot provide further input, special interests and lobbyists exert pressure on the decision-makers in this star chamber-like environment. This episode discusses the idiosyncrasies of the Suspense File process and tracks the limited debate that occurred in two prior policy-oriented Senate Committees (Education and Judiciary). The values-based concerns—particularly Title IX and broader gender equity—raised by Senators from both parties may result in the bill dying a lonely death in the bowels of the Suspense File. Will these concerns be a bellwether for athletes’ rights debates in United States Senate, particularly the Commerce Committee?