Professional sports are big business. With the billions of dollars generated annually though game tickets, merchandise and memorabilia, it should come as no surprise that counterfeiting has become a major issue. In 'Faking It,' a special TSN/CTV W5 co-production on SportsCentre, Senior Correspondent Rick Westhead investigates how some sports memorabilia is not what it seems, how fans are being taken in by fake tickets, and how bogus team jerseys from China make their way to Canada.

Part 2 (Today on SportsCentre) TICKETS TO NOWHERE

A young couple arrives at Toronto's Air Canada Centre with tickets they bought online as a Christmas present, only to be told the tickets are fake. As more fans are being burned by the phony ticket scam, police and pro sports teams are looking for ways to deal with this growing fraud and help buyers protect themselves from being duped.

Why are sports teams phasing out paper tickets?

- It saves money. Printing hard copy tickets on paper is more expensive, both for printing an shipping. Many sports teams have started pushing fans to electronic tickets. The Chicago White Sox, for instance, will only offer paper tickets to season-ticket holders this season who pay a $20 premium.

- MLB Advanced Media, the league's media unit, owns Tickets.com, which manages ticket services for the league's 30 teams. In 2014, 80 per cent of single-game tickets were purchased digitally, up from 50 per cent in 2011.

- The move away from paper tickets will hurt the memorabilia business. Paper tickets have a long-term cash value. For instance, last year, a ticket to the 1927 World Series sold for $41,815 in an online auction.

- Teams want customers to buy tickets online because when teams and ticket brokers require registration information. The information they collect can be used for email and text message campaigns about products and events, and can even be resold.