The Origins of the Net

The net was invented by an Everton fan who was so annoyed at the trick of the eye. Fans used to line up right by the goal line and hit it with their hand or leg. When a goal went in, it just went right back out again - no one knew if it actually had made it through. The crossbar was not there initially because people kept lobbying it way over the height that any human could get  and would estimate whether or not it had gone between the bars.