Whining about this isn't going to help. Try advertising your maps where the players are instead, to turn the tide (or at least to try to ;)).
Good looking maps aren't necessarily bad playing ones. What I think is a usualy path for a mapper is that he's starting with killbox-like things. In their simple enthousiasm they spread these all across and hence they get known.
If a mapper continues and gets in touch with other mappers, one of the first things that often start to improve is looks. These mappers compete with looks amongst each other. They 'advertise' less amongst players, so these maps naturally get a lot less publicity.
Then, and that may take some years, a mapper can turn into a level-designer, thinking out the map, playtesting into perfection, balancing the looks versus other things and so on.
Needless to say, there's few level-designers compared to mappers. If they would advertise their maps in player communities I'm sure these gems could get known not only inside the mapping communities, but far outside. I'm sure de_dust would never have been so popular if it wasn't with the rising popularity of Counter-Strike but kept in the confined space of a mapping community.
About this last group, there's a small part of them that become professionals and their maps
are getting played...
Besides... isn't mapping and level-design just all about the fun, not the name and fame?
EDIT: Also, I don't think this is something caused by Source. The situation hasn't changed much really since Source, methinks.
