Just last year, Super Bowl quarterback Tom Brady admitted that he was watching the biggest game of the year on an illegal website. This year, obviously Brady was playing in the Super Bowl and did not have to watch online. However, many other people were still tuning in to the game on illegal sites.

A Comstock Park, Michigan, man was allegedly operating nine websites that were illegally showing live sporting events and pay-per-view shows. Apparently, the man was in violation of numerous copyright laws because he was airing pirated telecasts of professional sports and other copyrighted programs. The man was arrested and charged with various white collar crimes just before the biggest sporting event of the year.

According to some reports, the man was also pulling in some money with his websites. He received approximately $13,000 from people who advertised on his sites. He faces up to five years in prison if he is convicted.

Law enforcement officials had recently initiated a crackdown that focused on arresting people who were selling or buying counterfeit National Football League merchandise. Last Thursday, the man's websites were seized and shut down as part of the crackdown.

It is entirely possible that the man was unaware how illegal his activities were. While the practice of selling imitation merchandise is illegal, it is an extremely common practice. Additionally, with the accessibility of televised events on the Internet now, people can find almost everything online. Many people may not understand the laws they violated or what punishments they face as a result of their actions.

The widespread use of the Internet is also blurring the line between right and wrong for users. Because people who air or view a professional game online may not think they are hurting anyone, they may be very surprised to learn that they can still be arrested and may face serious criminal charges.

Source: Detroit Free Press, "Feds in NY shut down 16 sports streaming websites," Larry Neumeister, Feb. 2, 2012