Howard Megdal

Special for USA TODAY Sports

Lisa Borders is less than two months into her tenure as WNBA president. And already, she’s seen things she believes promise better days ahead for the league she’s leading into its 20th season, and some moments that have given her pause as well.

Her conversion from the politician and businesswoman who helped bring the Dream to Atlanta—with the season tickets and screaming reactions on the sideline that went with it—into the executive the league hopes can lead to an increase in what were stagnating attendance and television ratings—is complete.

“There’s a lot of affirmation of how good our players are, and the quality of the games,” Borders said of her first impression during an interview in her New York office. “I’ve had the opportunity to see some of the practices, the chance to see the players who ultimately made the USA team. And the takeaway is the core product, which is what people will be watching, is exceptional. So the takeaway for me is the core product, and the demand for the core product, is solid.

“The number one thing would be people being aware of the league. So when we talk about attendance, and we talk about viewership, and we talk about sponsorship, it’s all driven by awareness. People coming to the game, watching the game, talking about the game, following their individual athlete, or their individual team. Folks learning about the league is the number one thing.”

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Accordingly, it is a puzzle to Borders, just as it is to so many who follow the league, why it seems so many of its most vociferous critics are those who haven’t taken the time to get to know the product Borders is selling.

“I would encourage people to come to a game,” Borders said. “Most people who express an opinion on our league have not experienced it. You wouldn’t do that with a restaurant, or a car. You would test drive it. You would taste the food in the restaurant. The experience of a WNBA game is no different. So I would encourage people, before they have an opinion, to come and experience a game in an arena. And if they don’t live in close proximity, I encourage them to watch us on ESPN.”

There are more ways to engage the fan than ever, Borders says — all playoff games will be on one of ESPN networks, while an expanded WNBA League Pass offers the chance to watch on various mobile devices and, critically, Apple TV as well. The league is celebrating 20 years, a remarkable achievement for a proposition greeted with skepticism in many corners, and several of its best will play this summer at the 2016 Olympics is Rio.

Borders believes the league’s next step is to make those players accessible off the court as well.

“In our case, the low-hanging fruit is dimensionalizing our players, and have them participate in their own marketing. We know who they are on the court ... We do not know very much about them beyond the court. And if you look at any sport, male or female, when people follow an athlete, they tend to relate to them. Now, most of us do not have the gifts that these young women possess. We do not dunk like Brittney Griner. We do not shoot like Maya Moore. We do not run like Angel McCoughtry. But we might have the same pet that Angel McCoughtry has. Or we might have the same fashion sense that Skylar Diggins has. We might have the competitive nature in business that a Diana Taurasi has on the court.

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“So the notion that these people have interests beyond their gifts. This is their job every day. But there are parts of their lives that are very much beyond that. What kind of music do they like? What kind of food do they like? Where do they live? Where are they from originally? Those are points of intersection that fans find gratifying.”

As to how Borders and the league will measure the success of this gambit, any growth will constitute a win, according to Borders. She declined to share the percentage goals of the league—but the areas of attendance, television ratings, sponsorship and merchandise sales are the four metrics.

A season in which the UConn trio of Breanna Stewart, Moriah Jefferson and Morgan Tuck enter the league after four consecutive championships is an opportunity. Those four areas will be how the league knows if it took advantage of that chance.

“We know that those things are critical to our business,” Borders said. “Are we going to manage to a target? No. We’ll have some internal goals that we won’t share publicly. What I don’t want to do is say the goal is X and only have people reach for X.”

“You have to fill the arena,” Borders added, “but you’re not going to do it overnight.”