From time to time during the broadcast of an NFL game the announcer will describe one of the teams as a "storied franchise." The dictionary defines the word "storied" as "celebrated or famous in history or story." In the case of a football team, how is this measured? Which franchises are the truly "storied" ones?

One reflection of a team having attained "storied" status might be the number of books published on the subject of that team. Author Brian Hill, (Over Time, a novel and the nonfiction book, The Making of a Bestseller, about the publishing industry,) comes up with the answer. "I visited Amazon.com and did a simple search of their online bookstore, typing in the name of (each NFL team) + football."

Using this method, the top-ten most written about, the most "storied," the most literary NFL teams (out of a total of 32 teams in the league) turn out to be:

1. Dallas Cowboys

2. New York Giants

3. Green Bay Packers

4. Chicago Bears

5. Washington Redskins

6. Cleveland Browns

7. Miami Dolphins

8. New York Jets

9. New England Patriots

10. Detroit Lions

Hill continues, "There was a wide disparity between the top of the ranking and the bottom. The top four teams were each cited more than 400 times in the Amazon.com search, the lowest ranking team, only 45 times. The average for all the teams was 185."

Why are some teams written about so much more than others?

Experience Counts

The Giants, Packers, Bears, Redskins and Browns are all teams that began in the early days of the National Football League. They have the most accumulated history, so it makes sense there would be more good material for writers to draw from.

Winning is Everything

The teams that have won the most NFL Championships are the Green Bay Packers (12-time champions), Chicago Bears (9 times) and the New York Giants (6 times). These three teams are all in the top four.

The Power of Numbers

Each year the Harris polling organization does an online survey, released in late September, asking people to name their two favorite pro football teams. In 2005, the results were as follows:

Green Bay Packers 16%

Dallas Cowboys 14%

New England Patriots 13%

Pittsburgh Steelers 13%

Philadelphia Eagles 10%

San Francisco 49ers 10%

What All NFL Fans Have in Common

Hill believes one thing is certain: "Fans of each and every NFL team are eager consumers of literature about their heroes. Hopefully, this research may help break down some of the unfortunate tribal stereotypes that arise between bitter rivals in the NFL. For instance, Giants fans have always assumed that Cowboys fans get most of their information from video games and daytime TV. Not so. Cowboys fans are the most well-read of all. And it may come as a shock to Chicago Bears fans that Green Bay Packers fans actually know how to read, when in fact the cheese wedges they wear on their heads were actually designed to be a handy way to store and carry books."

Millions of NFL football fans around the globe have found that reading about their favorite team's history, lore and accomplishments is a great way to spend a crisp autumn afternoon. This is particularly true during times when the current edition of their beloved team is having a losing season. Books help keep the memories of past championship glory alive forever.

Are you ready for some READING? Come meet Brian Hill and his co-author, Dee Power, October 14, 1:00 PM at the Borders, Waterfront store, 7135 E. Camelback Rd., Scottsdale.