One of the biggest sporting events of the year in Austin is the AT&T Austin Marathon. Ma Bell is plastered all over town and takes up much of the events logo, shirts and course markings.

But Sunday’s coverage of the marathon was spotty at best. Watching the male leaders tear through the course on TV, you could barely make out shapes, and the cameraman was often looking at the ground.

Best of all, the announcers (we’re not talking Joe Buck and Troy Aikman here) were extra critical of the connection. It seems that the video is transmitted via broadband, likely the same service that is a HUGE part of AT&T’s core business.

After the twentieth apology about the connection, we got the feeling that the AT&T person in charge of the event should have done some better pre-race testing. After all, if they can carry race coverage through the mountains of France, they should be able to do it on the streets of Austin.

And they may want to consider announcers who are not critical (albeit indirect) of the sponsor. Because now most people think AT&T offers spotty broadband.