Texas A&M — like every other Power Five school — has unique traditions and celebrations when it comes to its sporting events. It's part of what makes up the "12th Man" effective in Aggieland.

And the Aggies baseball program might be at the top of that list amongst the Texas A&M programs.

Fans watching the Bryan-College Station Super Regional of the 2024 NCAA Baseball Tournament may notice bubbles popping up and circulating across their screens. Unique and slightly piqued of interest? Both viable answers here, especially for those watching Texas A&M for the first time this postseason. And it's a whole other world, and level, when inside Blue Bell Park:

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It's one of the more distinct traditions and celebrations within college baseball and one of two Texas A&M does every home game. And it started with a joke between two teammates on a character's punch line in the movie "Anchorman," starring Will Ferrel, Steve Carrel and David Koechner.

Here's what you need to know about the Aggies' bubble tradition as Texas A&M hosts Oregon this weekend in the Bryan-College Station Super Regional of the NCAA baseball tournament:

Why does Texas A&M baseball blow bubbles?

The origin of bubbles being blown during Texas A&M baseball games dates back to 2015 with Aggies' infielder Patrick McLendon and pitcher Corbin Martin, according to the Texas A&M website.

As previously reported by Aubrey Bloom of the Bryan-College Station Eagle, Martin, a freshman at the time, started the dugout joke by saying "Whammy!" after each Texas A&M home run. The "Whammy!" line references the punchline of Champ Kind — played by Koechner — during sports segments in the movie. "Anchorman" just so happens to be Martin's favorite movie.

Per the Eagle, McLendon then took it to the next level with an idea he came up with one late night.

"I sort of took it upon myself to find something to take it to the next step," McLendon said. "I was walking through Walmart one day and saw the bubble machine, and thought it would be kind of comical if I started shooting bubbles off. So I brought it up here — and cleared it with the coaches first."

"Whammy" the bubble machine was born. Bloom noted that the bubble celebration was originally supposed to be something seen just with the Aggies in the dugout — similar to some home run celebrations by MLB teams — but then manager Rob Childress told McLendon to make it visible for all of Aggieland to see it.

Since then, this tradition, originally formed as a joke between two teammates, has taken off in Aggieland. In 2022, Texas A&M installed bubble machines on top of both dugouts at Blue Bell Park to "further add" to the celebration. Fans are now encouraged to bring their own bubble machines to the games. Texas A&M even had a giveaway night earlier in the 2024 college baseball season in which the first 2,500 fans received their own Texas A&M-designed bubble machines, which have become rather visible during broadcasts this postseason.

Fans can even refill their bubble machines by going to the guest services window. And what if you forget to bring your own bubble machine? There are a "limited number" of machines available for each game that fans can borrow from guest services by exchanging their ID for a machine according to the A&M website.

When does Texas A&M baseball blow bubbles?

The "Whammy" bubble machine was originally used just to celebrate home runs hit by the Aggies. However, bubbles now float through Blue Bell Park every time Texas A&M scores a run. Texas A&M softball has also adopted the tradition, as noticed throughout the Aggies super regional series against Texas.

Per the Texas A&M site:

After every Aggie run scored, let the bubbles fly! Bubbles at BBP first started in 2015 (thanks to a dugout joke between Aggie Baseball infielder Patrick McLendon ’15 and pitcher Corbin Martin ’18) as a celebration of home runs but has since evolved to celebrate every run scored by the team. Industrial sized, remote controlled bubble machines were installed on top of the dugouts during the 2022 season to enhance the celebration. Fans are encouraged to bring their own bubbles to the venue. If you forget to bring your own bubbles, a limited number of bubble machines are available to borrow on gameday by exchanging your ID with the Diamond Darlings at Guest Services.

Here's a look at the bubbles floating through Blue Bell Park during the Bryan-College Station Regional of the NCAA Baseball Tournament vs. rival Texas:

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas A&M baseball bubbles, explained: Why Aggies blow bubbles at games