Eric - Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled BG yearning to grow to 10" or wind up in my deep fryer trying.
It's all about taste, fight, fishing inertia (BG are what Granpappy fished for), and personality (the humble BG is Everyman). And if you set a proper slot limit (with or without sexing), you can't pull too many BG out of a pond.
P.S. There's nothing wrong with catching and eating Walleye (I love them too), but they are far from being a limitless supply pond fish.