There has been a lot of talk lately about the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA lately - especially with today's blackout by Wikipedia, Reddit, and Mozilla. I have stayed away from commenting on the proposed legislation because of its political nature. As most of you know, we don't discuss political or religious beliefs or feelings on the site due to the explosive nature they bring.

However, in this case, the importance of SOPA, and what it could mean, needs to be addressed. SB Nation and its parent company, Vox Media, posted their official position earlier today.

You can also read all about SOPA and it's meaning and information about today's blackout from Vox Media's electronics site, The Verge.

What you need to understand about SOPA is the desire to stop online piracy is a good thing. However, the danger with this legislation comes in the wording. Under the proposed bill, it would be possible for sites that link to pirated material. It doesn't have to be an official post. Technically, a comment by a reader on the Phinsider could, theoretically, lead to a ban on the site. Illegal content is anything copyrighted - to include links to illegal streams of NFL games, and, possibly, any clips of NFL games.

Now, would SB Nation or The Phinsider be a target under the legislation? Probably not. But, probably is a dangerous concept. Please educate yourself on the legislation, and, if you feel that something needs to be done, take steps to contact your legislature. The bill is still in Congress, and is still being debated - but if it did pass, it could seriously harm sites like Google, Wikipedia, and the Phinsider.

Sorry for the breach of our own rules, but, in this unique case, it seemed warranted.