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MIAMI, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Tom Brady was the most-mentioned NFL player this year on Twitter, while the late Kobe Bryant was the athlete mentioned most with the term "GOAT," or greatest of all time, the social network company said. Twitter also released new emojis ahead of Super Bowl LV on Sunday. Fans can trigger photos of miniature goats to show up in their tweets when they use the hashtags #TomBrady, #Brady, #PatrickMahomes or #Mahomes.
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The goats sport Mahomes' No. 15 jersey or Brady's No. 12 jersey when the respective hashtags are added to a tweet.
Brady, 43, is widely recognized as the greatest NFL player of all time because of his six Super Bowl titles. Mahomes, 25, is off to one of the greatest starts to a career in NFL history.
Twitter said Brady, Mahomes and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers were the most-mentioned NFL players this season on the social media platform. The Pittsburgh Steelers were the most-mentioned NFL team.
Mahomes has 1.7 million Twitter followers. Brady has 1.4 million followers. Mahomes joined the network in 2011, while Brady joined in 2019.
"I think [Mahomes has] a way about him where he understands people and they are interested in things he has to say and believes in," Chiefs coach Andy Reid told reporters Tuesday during a Zoom video conference.
Since the NFL playoffs started, Twitter said 1.4 million tweets have been about the Chiefs and 1.1 million tweets have referenced the Buccaneers.
Like last year, the Super Bowl LV confetti that falls on the field after the game will feature Twitter messages. This year's confetti will feature printed thank-you messages to frontline workers, in addition to messages from fans about the teams and players.
Bryant's name, however, is the one used most with the term GOAT. The Los Angeles Lakers legend, who died a week before last year's Super Bowl, is one of the greatest basketball players in history.
Current Lakers star LeBron James has been associated with the term GOAT the second-most times on Twitter. Brady ranks third overall in tweets that feature his name and GOAT.
Mahomes is the most-tweeted-about Chiefs player, followed by tight end Travis Kelce and wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Brady, wide receiver Antonio Brown and tight end Rob Gronkowski are the most-tweeted-about Buccaneers players.
The Buffalo Bills' #billsmafia hashtag was the most-tweeted NFL team hashtag this season, followed by #browns, #gopackgo, #steelers and #chiefskingdom.
Twitter said there has been a 25% increase in impressions -- or interactions -- on NFL playoff tweets this year compared with last year.
The NFL also has increased its usage of the platform. In January the league streamed its virtual Pro Bowl on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. The league also has used Twitter to allow fans to vote for season-long awards and for contests, like winning Super Bowl tickets.
