What's a catamount?

As I sit here watching the plethora of games that ESPN3.com has to offer, my attention has been diverted to my beloved Vermont Catamounts who are battling for the prestigious American East Conference title. For those real college basketball fans out there, you may remember the Catamounts from the NCAA tourney in 2005 when they beat the 4 seeded Syracuse Orangemen.
Cue Dick Vitale: UPSET CITY BABY!
This brings me to my question of the day- is parity good or bad for sports?
Certainly we see close fought battles between 4 and 13 seeds in the NCAA tournament all the time. The paradox which arises here has baffled me for quite some time: Is it better for a good team to get upset early in the tournament (to help create buzz and excitement) or is it better for that higher ranked team to make a more substantial run deep into the tournament and face other top teams in the nation for more highlighted and star-studded matchups?
College Basketball has always been an upset-driven sport, and will most likely remain that way for a very long time. Therefore one might say that parity pilots the entire basketball season, as no game or team can go overlooked early or late in the season.
Disparity in sports is extremely prevalent in leagues such as the MLB and NBA. High salary caps in the NBA and literally no salary cap in the MLB allow for teams with the deepest pockets to assemble star-studded squads capable of utter domination. Examples of this are the New York Yankees, the Boston Red Sox, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks.
While having the best players does not always translate to success on the court or field, (*cough.. Miami Heat.. *cough) the ability for general managers and owners to compile super-teams is enough to make a massive difference in the league overall.
Now I am not saying that money and money alone dictates the level of parity in any one league. However, these leagues are businesses. Businesses run by powerful characters in our global economy worth billions and billions of dollars. When teams have resources that others do not, it can severely polarize the leagues in which these teams play.
That being said, when these teams do succeed on the playing field over and over, the "dynasty" of a team can be a very dynamic storyline to follow. A storyline worth far more than a single upset in college basketball.
Personally, I think it comes down to personal preference from sports fan to sports fan. If you were a Yankees fan in the mid 90's to late 2000's, of course disparity benefits you. If you are a Davidson or Vermont basketball fan, then you live for the upset. Speaking of upsets, I cannot wait for the Ducks to make a big big push in the Pac-10 tourney. I'm talking semifinals baby. Mark my words- you heard it here first!