15 Questions with... Brendan McCaffrey, a Penn sprint football junior

The Daily Pennsylvanian asked Brendan McCaffrey of Penn sprint football 15 questions about his sport, his time at Penn, and life overall. Here's what the junior had to say.

1.  Can you introduce yourself? 

My name is Brendan McCaffrey, and I am a junior from New York. I am majoring in computer science in SEAS and finance in Wharton.

2.  For readers that are unfamiliar with the term, what is Sprint Football?

Sprint football is basically American football, but with a weight limit of 180 pounds. Sprint football is a little faster and more dynamic than regular American football.

3.  How long have you been playing football? 

I’ve been playing football since I was 8 years old. I used to play running back and corner back growing up. In high school, I played all over the field — at wide receiver, running back, quarter back, and kick returner. At Penn, I am a wide receiver and a kick returner.

4.  Why did you choose to play at Penn?

I chose Penn because of the school. Even though it is one of the best academic programs in the world, I really liked the laid-back and very social community there. I love that I came to Penn and have no regrets.

5.  How has the sprint football team coped with the pandemic this year?

The pandemic hit when we were in our offseason, preparing for fall 2020. No one really expected it, and we quickly had to shift to online meetings. We thought we could play during the fall but that wasn’t the case.

6.  What is the current status of the sprint football season this year?

We have about six meetings/practices per week since the beginning of this semester. We do not have a season this spring, but we anticipate a full season during fall 2021, and we are preparing for that as of now.

7.  What has been your favorite moment while you were playing on the team?

I greatly appreciate the people I have met on the team. They will continue to be some of my closest friends for a long time. I also very much remember winning big on the road at Cornell, and losing by only a field goal at West Point during the fall of 2019.

8.  What are you most looking forward to in the upcoming season?

I’m most looking forward to winning a championship and getting a ring. I think that we have been taking advantage of this time off for rest and training much more effectively than other teams in our league. I’m excited to get back on the field and show to the rest of our league that Penn is the best at sprint football.

9.  Do you have any pre-game rituals?

Before every game, I like to listen to music, stretch, and get into the proper headspace. I also try to focus on what’s most important about the task at hand and what matters to me because it gets me locked in.

10.  What is your favorite thing about Penn’s campus?

My favorite thing about Penn’s campus is the general vibe and excitement of the student body. Each day feels like a new opportunity filled with promise and excitement.

11.  Do you have a favorite professional athlete or team?

My favorite athletes are Odell Beckham Jr. and Ja Morant, but my favorite team is the Dallas Cowboys.

12.  Did you pick up any new hobbies during quarantine?

I started my own startup during quarantine: Págame. Págame is a financial technology service application for the country of Bolivia. We just finished up our minimum value product, got some funding through a grant from the Weiss Fund, and we are currently talking to a few Bolivian banks on how to partner with them to promote and sell our product.

13.  How have you found online learning to be last semester and this semester so far?

It was definitely a big transition when the pandemic first hit, and there are a lot of obstacles with online learning. However, when I started to get used to it, I realized that there were many more opportunities with online learning than in-person learning. I’ve come to appreciate the change to online learning and the opportunities it provides, but nothing will ever replace in-person learning, and I hope Penn returns to that format soon.

14.  If you had 24 hours to do whatever you wanted in Philadelphia, what would you do? 

I would rent a motorcycle with some friends and ride around and try to explore the city a little bit more.

15.  If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? 

I definitely want to go to Thailand and New Zealand. I’ve also been to South Africa before, but I want to go back there sometime.