MEDLEY, Fla. — The real story of Unrivaled, of both its immediate success and its magnetic appeal, is best told by the fans, not TV ratings or revenue.

And if you don’t know Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 women’s basketball league filled with WNBA players and founded by WNBA players Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, I’d advise you to go to a game.

Immediately.

You’ll love it.

I did.

More importantly, the fans love it, and that becomes joyfully obvious when you attend a game. That’s my enduring takeaway from the league.

My in-person experience with Unrivaled came on Tuesday night when I attended the doubleheader — Rose vs. Vinyl, and then Phantom vs. Laces — at Wayfair Arena, which seats 850 energetic fans near Hialeah and Miami Springs.

Unrivaled is off to a good start in its inaugural season, largely because of two things:

— It has enthusiastic players who play hard and put out a good product.

— It appeals to its fans on many levels — whether it’s because it was founded by players, because players have equity in the league, or because it’s for women and by women.

Don’t take it from me.

Listen to Unrivaled fans such as 11-year-old Olivia Lewis, a Cooper City resident who went to Tuesday’s games with her father, J.B. Lewis.

“I like women’s basketball a lot,” said Lewis, who has a jersey signed by superstar Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark hanging in her bedroom.

“And getting to see everyone in the same place at the same time, it really brings women’s sports together and shows that they can do anything together.”

The six-team Unrivaled league, which started Jan. 17 and concludes March 17, is housed in a communications studio in an industrial corner of western Miami among a sea of warehouses and blue-collar businesses, in a town named Medley.

A single building is league headquarters and contains the playing court, practice courts, a child-care center and medical facilities, among other things, for Unrivaled.

The league, which plays doubleheaders on Friday, Saturday and Monday, is televised on TNT and TruTV.

Game presentation features an upbeat, energetic blue-black-purple neon color scheme that tells you the league is about action and being avant-garde.

The recently concluded midseason 1-on-1 tournament, which earned Collier a winner’s check of $200,000 that nearly equals her Minnesota Lynx/WNBA salary of $214,000, was well-received and action-packed.

That’s all good.

But to me, fan interest and passion best tells the story of the league.

Fans love the product.

Unrivaled fans came from near and far Tuesday, mostly far, according to my unscientific, anecdotal research.

I spoke to 14 people, and the Lewis’ were the only locals.

Most of the fans I spoke with flew down from New York.

Fans came from other places, to be sure.

One couple came down from Raleigh, N.C., on a 24-hour sojourn just to see the game. They departed Raleigh at 7 a.m. Tuesday, watched the Tuesday night doubleheader, and they were leaving Miami on a 7 a.m. flight Wednesday.

Ali Kostovski and her 11-year-old daughter Ellie came from Dallas to watch the games. They went to a Dallas Fever-Indiana Wings game last season. Ellie is a fan of Clark — but also a Collier fan.

Ellie loves watching women’s basketball, which is why they made the trip to Miami to see Unrivaled.

“It leaves a big impact on me,” Ellie said.

Cheryrell Epps and her son, Ethan Moreland, 8, came down from New York. They’re Liberty season-ticket holders.

“We actually enjoy the WNBA more than the NBA, but he goes to both games and he plays ball himself,” Epps said.

Brooklyn residents Peter Cocheco and David Smith were seated courtside. They’re also Liberty fans. Unrivaled appeals to them in many ways.

“It’s great to see the players play in the winter without having to go overseas,” Smith said. “It’s a different format, which is interesting. It’s different from the ‘W.’ And it’s all the stars of the ‘W.’

“It’s quick,” Cocheco said, “it’s action-packed.”

It’s also refreshing in many ways.

Unrivaled fans aren’t on social media complaining about big-time players refusing to play because they’re mad that they didn’t get a contract extension.

Unrivaled TV analysts aren’t updating fans on soap opera storylines such as players saying, “I’m out” because their team had a frustrating season.

Players want to play, and they play hard.

And they’re happy.

Their happiness and enthusiasm helps spread a good vibe throughout the arena.

If you can get a ticket before the games sell out and you are at the mercy of the resale market, they range from $45 to $225.

Andrea and Josephine Hanley came down from New York. I spoke to them in the break after the Rose-Vinyl game and before the Phantom-Laces game. Andrea and Josephine were wearing Liberty jerseys. Josephine, 9, likes Angel Reese and Sabrina Ionescu.

“We came down here to celebrate her birthday,” Andrea said, “which was featured around this basketball game tonight.”

Josephine’s thoughts?

“I like it, and I’m looking forward to the Phantom and Laces playing tonight,” Josephine said.

“I think the music is pretty awesome too,” Andrea added, “the whole vibe and scene.”

She’s right.

The games are well-produced and well-paced. They have a quality DJ and an in-house hype squad that keeps fan engagement high.

Unrivaled is forward-thinking and fan-friendly.

It has energy.

It has excitement.

It has tangible momentum.

It’s intense.

But it’s also fun.

In the first game I saw on Tuesday, Rose led Vinyl, 13-2, after the first quarter, a quarter that saw Vinyl go 1-for-20 shooting from the field.

In the second quarter, Vinyl found its footing. The halftime score was Rose, 29, Vinyl 26.

In the end, Vinyl won 49-48 in an exciting come-from-behind game, and in the nightcap, Laces knocked off Phantom 63-60 in another exciting game.

Before the games, I interviewed Vinyl coach Teresa Weatherspoon, a living legend, and young Vinyl/Indiana Fever forward Aliyah Boston. After the games I sat in on the postgame interviews with Phantom/Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally and a few others.

They were all great.

But no one and nothing told me the story of Unrivaled better than witnessing two exciting, high-quality games, my observations of fans having a great time, and fans telling me they were having a great time.

I’ll be back.

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