Well I used a xbow for the past several yrs. My bow wasn't the fastest out there but was dead balls deadly out to 35 yards. A big reason they get a bad rap from alot of people is they are easy to shoot, just like a gun which many people have shot at some time in their life so its more natural to start with and you really don't have to worry about your form and other things.
The power stoke just isn't there for alot of crossbows. They are like bottle rockets, they come screaming out hauling the mail and fizzle off. You have the exception here for some shooting 350fps plus.
I personally don't care what you use for bowhunting as long as you are proficient with it, and you take ethical shots with it.
I do know most xbows are heavy, loud, and can be cumbersome in the stand. I also didn't have as much fun shooting it as I do my compound. I would shoot another if something limited me to not doing vertical bows. Are they they cheating or good or bad for the sport? depends on what you use to hunt will alter the answer.