ESPN Films - 30 for 30 - Big Shot

If you haven't seen this, you must.

It wasn't what I expected it to be. Of course as I had to open it to find out, it could not be returned.

Its amazing greed and no safety checks worked. Big business can get caught being dumb.

Beat eva

John Spano was a big shot mainly in his own mind, but he took one huge public gamble to make his dream come true. I used to think Lance Armstrong was the biggest fraud in all of sports, but no, that title was claimed (and perhaps retired) by John Spano in 1996. Somehow, this guy cozied up to NHL top brass and convinced them he was a multimillionaire looking to buy a team. He made abortive offers for two NHL franchises before the perfect storm happened on Long Island. The New York Islanders, with a rich history but failing both financially and on the ice, needed a new owner. Awful team, awful arena, inconceivable new logo, motivated seller, tasty asking price.With a few faked documents, John Spano "bought" the Islanders, even going so far as taking over day-to-day operations of the team. Imagine someone walking in the back door of the White House and getting appointed head of the CIA- it was that ridiculous. My only gripe is that "Big Shot" doesn't admonish the NHL nearly enough for failing to check Spano's finances. They reportedly spent less than $1000 on the vetting process, which is a real shame, even for twenty years ago. The film is clearly about Spano, and he provides more than enough entertainment. His interview is pretty extensive and revealing. On the surface he seems charming enough, and as the lies piled up and got more outlandish- he got approved for an $80 million loan from Fleet Bank- I found myself almost wishing his perverse scheme would have succeeded. This film is well directed, showing long-suffering Islanders fans along with lots of hockey history on the island. Even the most loyal Rangers fans have to have a softer spot for the Isles after this. Or maybe not. Despite his fraudulent ways, it doesn't seem as if John Spano hurt anyone more than himself, and it seems like he could have been a good executive without hatching the sports con of the century. When he dreamed, he did it big, and almost made it work.

A guy fakes documents and fools the National Hockey League who so badly want a new owner they accept his bogus paperwork. As with any scam eventually some $ is going to have to appear. He even fools a bank which is particularly surprising. Then he starts sending checks that are missing zeros. He lives the glamorous life for as long as possible. Eventually he is found out. Insightful.