Air Bud was the real MVP of UMBC’s upset win over Virginia

UMBC pulled off perhaps the greatest upset in the history of college basketball, and a fictional dog named Air Bud is stealing the show.

Sometimes, despite all the turmoil it causes, the internet is a good thing. On Friday night, we were reminded of just how awesome people on Twitter can be when we all rally around history being made with truly profound reactions.

In this case, history being made was a 16-seed upsetting a 1-seed in March Madness, and the profound reactions were relating it to the classic film Air Bud.

This is the part where every millennial’s inner old person starts yelling on the front lawn: Air Bud was a 1997 film that, at its core, is about a golden retriever that learns how to play basketball and wins a middle school championship. The jerseys that Air Bud’s middle school teammates wear are identical to the ones worn by UMBC.

Ironically, the mascot for UMBC is a retriever.

It didn’t take long for people to make the connection and run with it. For all the stupid stuff we have to put up with on the internet, this was a tremendous payoff.

This doesn’t make up for all the crap we have to put up with thanks to the internet, but it helps soothe the pain a little.

Next: 28 Most Memorable Buzzer Beaters in March Madness History

Who doesn’t love a little Air Bud in their lives? Even in the face of a historic upset, dogs just make everything better — especially ones that know how to play basketball.