Are you worrying about what's good for the newspaper running the column, or is it strictly a bowling perspective thing?
Of course the newspaper is going to run the column directed at the biggest market possible. Bowling columns are little more than filler for the sports page, always have been. A small sector may be interested in a "serious" bowling article, but, if "Joe Blow" thinks there might be a mention of his awesome night of "DISCO" bowling there, you will have a lot more people reading that article. More readers reading more articles=money in the newspapers pockets, period.
You've got 1.4 million bowlers NATIONWIDE that are sanctioned, so might be considered somewhat serious. Otherwise, everyone else that goes bowling sees it as a recreation, and not a serious sport, so would view any article in any newspaper through those same eyes.
Is it a good thing when the content of newspaper bowling columns turns away from coverage of competitive bowling in favor of such things as Xtreme bowling and breakfast specials? Maybe not, but I don't think its as detrimental a thing as it might sound at first. You get more recreational bowlers reading the column, maybe a few go bowling more often because of it, maybe a few of those join leagues and become "serious" bowlers, and the numbers of "serious" bowlers starts to go up.
