Short answers, pulled from the story.
A wild card is an invitation to a tournament or playoff berth awarded to a team or individual that does not qualify via an automatic bid. Organizers choose these entries freely in some events while other events have fixed rules governing who receives the spot.
Kye Sun-Hui won gold in judo at the 1996 Summer Olympics after receiving such a wildcard entry. National Olympic Committees representing underrepresented nations may receive Universality Places for eligible sports like judo, archery, and badminton.
The NFL became the first major league to adopt the wild card format when it merged with the AFL in 1970. Before this merger, only division champions could compete for the championship.
The men's basketball field includes sixty-eight teams consisting of thirty-two automatic qualifiers plus thirty-six at-large selections. Selection Sunday reveals these choices on television marking a pivotal moment for unranked programs seeking postseason opportunities.
Italy, Puerto Rico, Serbia and Montenegro, and Turkey received spots in 2006 to complete its twenty-four-team field. Turkey reached the quarterfinals while other invited teams participated as part of the four wildcards introduced that year.