Super Bowl champion and New Jersey native Victor Cruz recently launched a new fitness program called UNDRAFTED on the Ladder app. The former Giant's wideout told Cheddar that the partnership was a no-brainer allowing him to dish expert advice after years of training his own body.
"I wanted the feeling of that program to be different than the other programs they have on there because you get the dynamic approach of myself, a former athlete, and an actual trainer as well that knows what he's doing and my level of expertise from years of training and years of learning my body, I can add that as well, along with personal anecdotes," Cruz explained.
The personal training program featured on the app provides users with "fresh workouts" on a weekly basis, he said, with the opportunity to chat with other members of the program. Users can even upload progress pictures.
"It's something that I can speak to easily, and I just thought the app was dope because you get one-on-one training with myself and Eric in your ear, talking to you, in and out of your own music: your Spotifys, your iTunes, all of that can be listened to within the app. It's kind of integrated in there," the former NFL player noted.
Building Community
According to Cruz, community building isn't just limited to UNDRAFTED. The Victor Cruz Foundation has worked for years to establish strong community bonds and promote education.
The former New York Giant said it all started with a trip to the White House Science fair during the Obama administration, sparking Cruz to provide empowerment tools for the youth in his hometown of Paterson, New Jersey.
"I wanted to reach back to the people that look like me. The kids that walked the same hallways I walked, streets, boys and girls clubs, all these different places that really shaped me as a kid," he said. "I wanted to give them more resources and give them the kind of understanding that 'hey, look, there's more out there than you may think or what your resources may allow.'"
The foundation is focused on introducing children to STEM, and since its beginnings, Cruz said his proudest accomplishment has been watching the growth and success of the kids involved in the program.
The Big Game
Meanwhile, when it comes to winning, Cruz knows a thing or two about the process of being crowned champion on football's biggest stage. Ahead of Super Bowl Sunday, win or lose, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Tom Brady is already the greatest quarterback of all time, according to Brady's former opponent.
"I don't think people even understand the kind of level that Tom Brady's on right now. Even myself. I claimed him the best quarterback in the world like five years ago when he had his fourth championship," he offered.
Cruz, however, did not go so far as to predict a winner in the game between Tampa Bay and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Still, as those players gear up for the big game, Cruz noted that the pandemic's impact on the pomp and pageantry around this year's Super Bowl should allow them to be more relaxed about executing their game plans.
"Well you got to try your best to stay focused, and this year, I think, they're lucky that this year has been the kind of year that it's been in terms of fans and not having the same level of just fan craziness and family craziness," he said.
Nvidia on Wednesday became the first public company to reach a market capitalization of $5 trillion. The ravenous appetite for the Silicon Valley company’s chips is the main reason that the company’s stock price has increased so rapidly since early 2023.
Chris Williamson, Chief Business Economist at S&P Global, breaks down September’s CPI print and inflation trends, explaining what it means for markets.
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people — including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures — has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of sports betting in the U.S. The multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy for sports fans — and even some players — to wager on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone. But regulating the rapidly-growing industry has proven to be a challenge. Professional sports leagues’ own role in promoting gambling has also raised eyebrows.
