Big Con

<p><span style=color: rgba(20 20 20 1)>He fled a scandal. He built a sporting empire. He left behind a legacy-largely forgotten in his homeland.</span></p><p></p><p><span style=color: rgba(20 20 20 1)>Con Jones-born Thomas Shortel-was a bookmaker a fugitive a family man and a genius sports promoter who reshaped Canadian soccer and lacrosse in the early 20th century. Leaving Sydney in disgrace after a Melbourne Cup betting scandal he arrived in Vancouver and reinvented himself as a sporting visionary. Jones introduced professional soccer to British Columbia built a stadium and helped forge North America's first international football links. He was bold brash and endlessly ambitious.</span></p><p></p><p><em style=color: rgba(20 20 20 1)>Big Con</em><span style=color: rgba(20 20 20 1)> is a gripping tale of reinvention scandal and sporting revolution. It's a vivid portrait of a forgotten trailblazer who played a major role in shaping modern sport-and got away with it.</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(20 20 20 1)>A compelling read for sports lovers historians and anyone fascinated by the messy intersection of ambition identity and redemption.</span></p><p></p>