A strange little side quest
Before the next round of Football Heads: 2016-17 Champions League, here is a piece of the bigger picture. The penalty kick entered football's laws in 1891 and was nicknamed the 'kick of death' in its early days. The surprising part is how quickly the next milestone followed. Archery was already on the Olympic programme in 1900, boxing joined the modern Games in 1904, and basketball became a medal sport in 1936. That long chain of experiments is part of why football still feels fresh when a game finds the right twist.
