Max Rottenecker

Media Relations Professional

About Me

I am currently Wagner's Associate Athletic Director for Media Relations / Associated Faculty For Digital Media and the primary media relations contact for Wagner's football and men's basketball teams.

Most recently, I covered Wagner’s run to the 2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. After the shorthanded Seahawks became the first team ever to win three straight road games en route to a Northeast Conference (NEC) Championship and won their first-ever NCAA Tournament game, I oversaw media efforts that included numerous national and regional media appearances. Wagner was featured on NBC4, ABC7, Pix 11, CBS2, the New York Post, Sirius XM Radio, ESPN Radio, the New York Post, nj.com while gaining national attention on social media.

During my time on Grymes Hill, I have covered four NFL players, two NFL draft picks, two Super Bowl Champions, including NEC All-Time sack leader Cam Gill, as well as back-to-back NEC Player of the Year and NBA G-League player Alex Morales.

At Wagner, I oversee all digital strategy, graphic design, creative video, and media relations efforts and coordinates media day photo and video shoots for over 600 student-athletes annually.

In The Media

From having animations and graphics featured on SkullSparks to seeing my tweets and videos on ESPN's SportsCenter, it never gets old to see the small school from Staten Island in the media.

Viral tweet following the football team's first win in two years displayed on SportsCenter.

SportsCenter using my footage for the Top 10.

My Vision

From being a student-athlete to becoming an administrator, my work is based on various principles.

"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm" - if we're not passionate about our work as media professionals, the fans, alumni, and recruits who consume the work we publish will not reach its full potential.

Access is everything - I am aware that my role allows me to be in places where most people can't go, from locker rooms to the sidelines, which is how the idea behind our cinematic recaps got started. If I'm already in the locker room after games to bring our head coach to a press conference, I should capture what goes on behind the scenes to bring our fans closer to the action and give recruits the opportunity to see what it feels like to be a part of our team.

The Quarterback Rule - Playing quarterback is the hardest position in football because as the leader of the offense, you need to know every player's assignment on every play. In my current role, I believe that I can only be successful as a leader if I can teach every important thing that we ask members of our office to do on a daily basis. From writing to photography, design, video editing, and social media strategy, I pride myself in teaching all major aspects of the job in my office as well as my college courses. At a small school with multiple entry level positions and constant turnover, we are not successful if only one person in the office knows a specific aspect of the job.

The return on investment - As a member of the media, we are not actively impacting the result of a game. However, I firmly believe that the right media strategy can have a big impact on a team. Giving coaches better assets on the recruiting trail, motivating current players and positively impacting their student-athlete experience, and bringing alumni closer to their alma mater will yield big results for a program.

Equity Matters - At Wagner, all 600 student-athletes get the same photos and videos during their own specific Media Day. We do not prioritize specific teams and pride ourselves in giving everyone a positive experience.