The internet’s favorite tech reviewer is also an elite ultimate frisbee player

“This can sometimes be hard if you have a 6-foot-5 male versus a 5-foot-2 female,” Groess said. “Being able to change that and make it still easy on the receiver is a big skill that we ask.”

Kaela Helton, a member of Team USA, agrees that few do that better than Brownlee. 

“He has really good touch and consistency on his throws, and that makes him a really good mixed player,” she said. “When you’re throwing to women, the spacing and timing and how quickly someone can get to a spot is different. He’s able to calibrate his throws and adjust the mix seamlessly.” 

Brownlee’s schedule is fairly straightforward: research and reviews during the day and Ultimate at night and on weekends. 

“There’s never any tech event that’s happening at 7 p.m. on a Wednesday,” he joked. 

That’s not to say there aren’t ever any conflicts. 

“He’ll very politely ask our permission to not be with the team because he has to interview the head of Microsoft or he has to talk about the launch of this, that or whatever,” Groess said. “We as coaches just kind of laugh. We’re like, ‘Of course you can go get your own hotel room to interview whomever or to watch this product launch.’”

Brownlee’s “other” job has also caused quite the stir before, during and after matches. 

His popularity is evident no matter where in the world the team is based. Hatchett said that at a recent training tournament in Medellin, Colombia, someone went up to Brownlee on the street and thanked him for guidance on buying a particular phone. 

Helton said that at the World Beach Ultimate Championships this year outside Los Angeles, “you couldn’t walk a block without him getting stopped four or five times by people looking for pictures.” It got so bad she assigned herself a job to stay back with Brownlee and make sure he got to and from events on time. 

He also has to deal with his fame at matches, with fans yelling from the stands and asking for photos and autographs. 

Helton has even noticed it from opposing players. At a club tournament in Denver this month, she said, players asked him for photos as he was coming off the field between points. 

Brownlee will no doubt have his fair share of attention at the World Championships, though he said he hopes it’s more for his play on the field than his online presence.