You all know I’m against public money for a new Vikings stadium. But momentum continues to grow, so let’s forget about that for a moment and talk about the merits of the plan that’s coming together in the wake of Mark Dayton’s declaration that the Metrodome site is the only viable option.

I opposed public financing for a Twins stadium, too, but as long as we were building it I thought its Warehouse District location was fantastic. The Vikings stadium, on the other hand, doesn’t belong in the city.

Baseball (and to a lesser extent hockey and basketball) is a great amenity to have downtown. It brings 30 to 40 thousand people downtown, and it brings them often — at least 81 days a year. And while it brings a lot of folks downtown, it’s not so many that parking is a disaster. How much good it does for the local economy is debatable, but all things considered, baseball is good for the city.

Football, on the other hand, not so much. It brings 60 to 70 thousand people, most of whom want to tailgate. As a result, it requires vast parking lots. Those parking lots sit unused nearly all the time, as there are only 8 games a year. Most days, the Metrodome site is overwhelmed by empty parking lots. I can’t understand why Minneapolis would want to keep a stadium on that site.

Now that the Metrodome site is The Site, it’s too late. But Minneapolis shouldn’t have gotten into the stadium bidding in the first place. They should have been happy to see the Vikings go to Arden Hills.