Burgos: No need to spend $1.5 billion on the Cowboys

I was under the impression that the Taj Mahal was in India. The famous mausoleum is considered a world wonder and the greatest piece of Muslim architecture ever constructed. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s a spectacle that has stood 356 years.

I don’t know how much it cost to build the Taj Mahal. It was probably a lot. But, do you think it cost more than $1.5 billion? Did the city of Agra increase its sales tax by 0.5 percent to help fund its construction? Was the hotel occupancy tax in the county jacked up 2 percent and the car rental tax by 5 percent? Did Agra just give the architecture company $933 million — including interest, mind you — in bonds for funding?

All of those things happened for Jerry Jones to construct the new Dallas Cowboys’ stadium. For the record, the NFL also chipped in the customary aid of $150 million and Jones himself covered numerous other costs.

Indeed, many are dubbing it the Taj Mahal of arenas.

Granted, we are all well aware that much time has passed since the 15th century and now, but what went into the Cowboys’ new venue is just ridiculously gaudy.

And, despite how I much I dislike the notion of a stadium, this seems like a flat-out waste to use it for a mediocre football team. What are people going there in droves to see, anyway?

Take a look for yourself. The stadium has the largest high-definition television screen in the world hanging from its rafters. The thing spans from 20-yard line to 20-yard line. It’s 11,520 square feet, which probably means it’s bigger than your apartment. When the Cowboys take the field, they parade through a gallery of picture-snapping fans who are lucky enough to enjoy the game from a bar that doubles as the team’s tunnel to its locker room.

To be fair, the stadium will play host to a variety of other events, such as the NBA All-Star game in 2010, the Super Bowl in 2011 and the Final Four in 2014. The main tenant, of course, is Jones’ precious Cowboys.

The Yankees, who are the other organization to recently build a monstrosity of a stadium — coincidentally costing $1.5 billion — at least backed it up with the best record in baseball this year.

But, America’s Team went into the locker room at halftime with a big doughnut on the board this past Monday against the lowly, God-awful Panthers and won’t sniff the leagues best record this season.

Ultimately, Dallas won the game 21-7. Cameras caught Jones celebrating in his royal box like the team had just won the Super Bowl. Tony Romo, however, didn’t throw a touchdown, Felix Jones joined starting running back Marion Barber on the sidelines with an injury and, like I said, it was against the Panthers. They have Jake Delhomme (seven interceptions through three games) as their starting quarterback.

It is true that in the NFL, a win is a win is a win. They tell me there are no gimmies. But if your team’s moniker is a giant star, you better have one playing quarterback, too, and Tony Romo isn’t all he’s cracked up to be. Either he tosses three picks and you lose, or he plays it ultra-safe, and you barely beat a team in disarray with a pick-six in the last five minutes.

Here are the facts: Dallas is 14th in the league in passing offense. Romo is 18th in the league in passer rating at 85.2. He’s 13th in yards per game, and he’s thrown just one touchdown since week one against Tampa Bay — when he threw three.

Romo is in his fifth season and hasn’t won a playoff game. Last year, they were picked preseason to win the NFC, and they finished third in their division.

Meanwhile, Jones is building his spanking new edifice. It’s grand, and it’s glitzy. Hell, it just might be the most fun place in the world to go to a sporting event and not even watch the game.

It’s pretty huge, too, with an estimated capacity of 111,000. It has already set an NFL record in attendance, when 105,121 people came out to see the Boys lose to the Giants two weeks ago behind Romo’s three interceptions.

Sorry, Jerry, but you can keep Romo and the new digs. I’d rather see the Taj Mahal.