Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Add Good to your Google News feed.
Google News Button

College Basketball Player Gets A Post-Game Jumbotron Message And Surprise Reunion With His ‘Deployed’ Brother

"We don't ask for much for Christmas, so this is the best present I've ever gotten."

Penn Collins
By Penn CollinsDec 21, 2016
Penn Collins
See Full Bio

Surprise reunions are nothing new in the world of sports, but even after they’ve been featured at seemingly every arena and stadium, they still don’t lose their luster as heartwarming moments. During a recent Notre Dame basketball game, player Matt Farrell was treated to a message from his brother, 1st Lt. Bo Farrell, who was speaking to him from Afghanistan...supposedly.

It’s a little late in the year to get a new candidate for the best prank of the year, but this certainly deserves to be on the shortlist:

The audience (both in person and on TV) was as surprised as Matt when his brother comes trotting out, revealing a staged backdrop. You can tell by the crowd’s response at the Notre Dame Joyce Center that they were as overwhelmed as the Junior point guard when the twist was revealed.

According to Today, the event had been in the works for a mindblowing seven months, which no doubt required a lot of restraint on the part of those burdened with keeping this wonderful moment a secret. Those in on the ruse included not just Bo, but the Notre Dame coaching staff, headed by Mike Brey. As soon as Bo was deployed back in May, they started conspiring on the reunion, which included not just the two brothers, but other family members as well.

The whole thing is pretty magical, and words don’t really do much to convey the sentiment or expressions you see in the video, but Matt did his best to bow on what he was experiencing when he said to press after the fact, "We don't ask for much for Christmas, so this is the best present I've ever gotten."

If you’re looking for the icing on the cake here, Notre Dame won their game over Colgate 77-62, with Matt taking down 13 points in the effort. But in hindsight, the game just seems like a prelude to this:

The Latest

happiness, gratitude, mental health, gratitude mindset, therapy
Health

Spanish psychologist says 'best stage' of life begins with a specific mindset shift, not your age

Li Jingwei, kidnapped map, family reunion, Douyin, child trafficking, hand-drawn map, Zhaotong, viral video, China news, emotional reunion
Past Events

He was kidnapped at 4. A map he drew from memory 33 years later led him back home.

Aaron Arias, Jamal Harris, kidnapping rescue, Dallas teens, Charles Atkins Lewis, 911 call, Good Samaritans, viral rescue story, bystander intervention
Past Events

Teens rescue a kidnapped woman after noticing her mouth 'help me' from the backseat

vaccines, father, daughter, chickenpox, virus, dementia, memory, thinking, brain
Science

Scientists stumble onto ​possible breakthrough dementia vaccine that was hiding in plain sight

More For You

Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, funny animal photos, nature photography, wildlife humor, funny animals, viral animal pictures, conservation, Paul Joynson-Hicks

A chimp with its hand behind its head; otters appear to be laughing in the water; an otter looks like its surprised

Comedy Wildlife Photography

20 hilarious pics of animals playing around in the wild

Nature documentaries usually focus on the majestic side of the animal kingdom: the thrill of the hunt, the beauty of flight, or the grandeur of migration. But anyone who has spent time observing animals knows there is another, musch goofier, side to the wild.

Since 2015, the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, created by photographers and conservationists Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam, have been dedicated to capturing those unscripted, laugh-out-loud moments. With a mission to entertain while raising awareness about wildlife conservation, the competition celebrates the clumsy, expressive, and downright hilarious side of nature.

Keep ReadingShow less
Joe Eszterhas, Michael Ovitz, CAA, Hollywood history, Basic Instinct, show business feud, leaked letter, foot soldiers, super-agent, 1989

Hollywood sign with text overlay reading: "I am not an asset. I am a human being. You are an agent."

Canva

The epic fax that preceded the downfall of Hollywood's most feared agent

In 1989, Michael Ovitz wasn't just an agent. He was the gravity that held Hollywood together. As the co-founder of Creative Artists Agency (CAA), he didn't just book jobs; he packaged entire blockbusters, effectively telling the studios what they were making and who would star in it. He was the "King of Hollywood," a man who operated in the shadows, characterized by his zen-like calm, his terrifying efficiency, and the widely held belief that crossing him was professional suicide.

But empires often crumble from the smallest cracks, and Ovitz’s armor didn’t meet its match in a boardroom coup or a stock market crash. It met its match in a fax machine.

Keep ReadingShow less
worrying, anxiety, anxiety management, if then plan, habits

Two words, one plan, anxiety eased.

Photo credit: Canva

Worried about things you can't control? Mental strength trainer's 2-word plan can ease your mind.

Ever fret about something that's out of your control? You get anxious about it, worry about how it could go wrong, and that makes you even more anxious? Then you get to a point where the anxiety just grows as you put the "what if?" in a hyperloop in your mind? It's a terrible state to be in, but luckily two words could help you.

Self-described "mental strength trainer" and licensed therapist Amy Morin shared a way to help ease anxiety and catastrophizing.

Keep ReadingShow less
Robert Redford, Twilight Zone, Nothing in the Dark, Gladys Cooper, death portrayal, classic TV, George Clayton Johnson, Robert Redford tribute, Hollywood legend, 1962 television

Robert Redford in "The Twilight Zone"

The Twilight Zone' screenshot from Next Best Thing via YouTube

Robert Redford's haunting portrayal of Death in 'Twilight Zone': 'It isn't me you're afraid of'

The death of Robert Redford on September 16 at age 89 marked the loss of a Hollywood icon whose career spanned such breadth and depth that selecting a single definitive performance feels nearly impossible. Yet as word of his passing spread, countless fans found their minds returning to one of the actor's earliest roles—his unexpectedly poignant portrayal of Death in The Twilight Zone. The performance has lingered in viewers' memories for decades, but in light of his death, it now resonates on a deeper level.

"Nothing in the Dark," episode 16 of the anthology series’ third season, originally aired on January 5, 1962. And while it’s rarely mentioned in the same breath as "Time Enough at Last" or "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street," it’s still generally considered a staple—even ranking 18 out of 156 on IMDB’s user-voted ranking.

Keep ReadingShow less
mtv, cds, tower records, '90s nostalgia, '90s music

This nostalgic MTV News interview has '90s kids reflecting on the CD era.

Photo credit: screenshot from MTV News video on Reddit

People are savoring an unearthed 1994 MTV interview with people who just bought CDs at Tower Records

For those of us who grew up impatiently waiting for new-music Fridays, saving up our spare cash to spend on CDs at the local Sam Goody, nothing will ever beat the thrill of that tactile connection—even tearing the awkward sticky labels off the jewel cases was part of the ritual. And few videos better crystallize that feeling than a 1994 clip from MTV News, which interviewed a group of (mostly young) customers outside Tower Records in New York City.

The footage seems to especially resonate with Gen X and millennial listeners, who bask in the nostalgia of this bygone CD era. Part of what makes the video so compelling is its raw, on-the-street filming style, with an interviewer casually approaching people as they walk around outside Tower, frequently exiting with a fresh stack of compact discs. It also, almost by accident, gives a fascinating snapshot into the fashion and subcultures of mid-'90s music fandom.

Keep ReadingShow less
raccoons, drunk raccoon, liquor store, animal stories, wildlife

A raccoon in Virginia went on a liquor-store rampage.

Photo credit: Canva, webandi from pixabay (left, cropped) / Syda Productions (right, cropped)

Animal control helps 'drunk' raccoon that rampaged through liquor store and passed out in bathroom

Raccoons are rapscallions—nocturnal mischief-makers that you might find rummaging around in your garbage or, given their nimble five-digit hands, turning doorknobs. If you Google "funny raccoon stories," you’ll find a seemingly endless supply of enjoyable anecdotes. But none hold a candle to this one: Returning to work after a Thanksgiving break, staff at a liquor store in Ashland, Virginia were shocked to discover that a trash panda had broken into the establishment, ransacked some of their supply, and ultimately passed out in the bathroom—conveniently between the waste bin and the toilet. Luckily, though, thanks to the hard work of local animal control, the hangover was short-lived.

But first…just like a raccoon rummaging through your overgrown yard, we have to get into the weeds. The store in question is reportedly Ashland’s state-run ABC (or "Alcoholic Beverage Control" ) location, who told NBC News that the critter dropped inside through the ceiling and rummaged around, causing $250 in damages. (There were 14 bottles in total, covering rum, scotch, peanut butter whiskey, moonshine, and eggnog.) When security arrived to scope out the scene, they weren’t quite expecting to find a splayed-out (and, reportedly, "drunk") raccoon.

Keep ReadingShow less
Wow signal, Jerry Ehman, Big Ear Radio Observatory, extraterrestrial intelligence, aliens, magnetar, Abel Méndez, astrophysics, hydrogen cloud, space mystery

Cluster of far-off galaxies in deep space

Canva

The mystery of a strange radio signal that came from space 50 years ago may finally be solved

On August 15, 1977, astronomer Jerry Ehman was reviewing data from Ohio State University's Big Ear Radio Observatory when he saw something impossible to ignore. The telescope, designed to Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), had picked up a radio signal so strong and distinct that it lasted for 72 seconds.

Stunned, Ehman circled the data points on the printout in red pen and wrote a single word in the margin: “Wow!”

Keep ReadingShow less
dating, single life, bad dates, good dates, relationships

Do you live in a good dating city? A new report ranks the best and worst.

Photo credit: Canva, Katerina Holmes from Pexels (left, cropped) / Prostock-studio (right, cropped)

A new report ranks the 10 best and worst U.S. cities for single people to meet someone

What makes a city attractive to the unattached? You could make a massive list of qualities. And to help create their latest study, personal-finance company WalletHub did exactly that, using "35 key factors of dating-friendliness" to measure the best and worst U.S. cities for singles in 2025.

In order to focus their research, they evaluated 182 total cities, including the 150 most-populated. They did their analysis using 35 metrics that can be lumped into three broader categories: economics (everything from restaurant-meal costs to housing affordability), fun and recreation (things like parks per capita and presence of music festivals), and dating opportunities (including a share of the single population and "Google search traffic for the term 'Tinder'"). Each city was then given a total score out of 100, with the whole list ranked best to worst.

Keep ReadingShow less
© Copyright 2025