Infamous, life-long streaker Mark Roberts has plans to mark the end of a dedicated on-pitch “career” with suitably whacky burial arrangements.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that someone like Conor McGregor — who recently took his borderline-crazy persona to new levels in the hit movie Roadhouse — or the always-terrifying Mike Tyson has left the most indelible marks on the sporting world. However, Mark Roberts, a prolific streaker who recently gave a tell-all interview to The Fence, may give them a run for their money…
With 573 recorded naked dashes across public events over a span of 30 years, Roberts is the world’s most prolific streaker and turned the act into something of an art form. But it’s his posthumous plans that are raising eyebrows here at the DMARGE newsdesk: burial in a clear Perspex coffin with a dose of Viagra to ensure he “goes out in style.”
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Roberts’s streaking escapades are nothing short of legendary. He’s somersaulted naked over the net at Wimbledon, dashed past Tiger Woods with a toy squirrel (barely) covering his modesty, and even carried another nude patron on his back into a crowded pub. Frankly, his creativity knows no bounds, from disguising himself as a cleaner at the Winter Olympics to posing as a woman to infiltrate Royal Ascot, Roberts finds a way to get the job done.
But Roberts isn’t alone in his passion for this most exposing of pursuits. Other streakers like Olmo Garcia and Erika Roe have their own tales of semi-spontaneous disrobing: Garcia hid for 14 hours in a stadium to streak at a football match, while Roe’s topless run at Twickenham Stadium in 1982 was a moment of impulsive fun that landed her on front pages across the UK.
Streaking, according to its practitioners, is utterly distinct from other less jovial forms of public exposure. This can be summed up with the following maxim: it’s about entertainment, not intimidation. Roe emphasises the light-hearted nature of her own moment in the limelight, while Roberts insists that streaking is a moment of
“Being daft, being as free as you’ll ever be.”
Mark Roberts
Nowadays, concerns about offending audiences have become far more pressing, as has the long-lasting impact of social media. In combination, they’ve made the prospect of streaking much less enticing, with the fear of ending up on the sex offenders register or jeopardising one’s career adding an understandable layer of caution and consideration to what was once a spontaneous act of rebellion.
As we reflect on the legacy of streakers like Mark Roberts, we’re reminded of a time when a simple act of nudity could bring a stadium to a standstill. While the era of streaking may be fading, the memories of those daring dashes across the field will forever be etched in the annals of sporting history… and this year’s Superbowl proved that the disrobed dream may never die entirely.