I saw that headline about the AFL player making a “cry baby” gesture and honestly, my first thought was: that’s nothing like how Docker actually works. But then I realized there’s actually something worth discussing here about how we treat our tools, our colleagues, and the mistakes that happen in high-pressure situations.
As someone who’s spent years working with containerization, I’ve learned that the technical world and the sporting world aren’t that different when it comes to how people handle conflict and frustration. Both require professionalism, even when things get heated.
The Real Problem With Public Frustration
When Patrick Voss made that gesture toward Harrison Petty during the game, he was expressing frustration publicly. That’s the core issue—not the gesture itself, but doing it where everyone can see. In software development, we face similar moments constantly. Your code doesn’t compile. A deployment fails at 2 AM. A colleague overwrites your changes without checking the commit history.
The difference between professionals and everyone else is what they do when frustrated. I’ve been in situations where I wanted to yell at my screen after Docker refused to build an image for the third time due to a typo in the Dockerfile. But you don’t. You step back. You take a breath. You fix it.
Why? Because your team is watching. Your reputation is on the line. And more importantly, your response sets the tone for how everyone else will handle problems.
The same applies on a football field. When you make a gesture mocking another player, you’re not just expressing yourself—you’re saying something about your values and your professionalism. In the AFL, that matters. In software teams, it matters just as much.
Handling Mistakes and Conflict Constructively
I’ve made plenty of mistakes with Docker. I’ve forgotten to mount volumes correctly. I’ve pushed images without proper tags. I’ve left security vulnerabilities in configurations. Each time, I had to own it, fix it, and move forward without blaming the tool or the person who caught the error.
What I learned is that how you respond to being called out matters more than the mistake itself. If someone points out that your container is running as root (a security nightmare), the professional response is to fix it immediately and thank them for catching it. The unprofessional response? Getting defensive. Making excuses. Worse, mocking them for pointing it out.
That’s essentially what happened on the field. One player made a decision during the game, another player reacted to it, and instead of letting it go or addressing it directly and respectfully, there was public mockery. In a technical environment, that kind of behavior erodes trust. Your teammates stop pointing out problems because they know you’ll respond poorly. Code reviews become awkward. Knowledge sharing breaks down.
In sports or software, the teams that win are the ones where everyone knows they can be honest without fear of being humiliated or mocked for it.
What Professional Standards Actually Mean
Professional standards exist for a reason. They’re not about being boring or suppressing personality. They’re about creating an environment where work actually gets done well.
When I’m working with Docker in production, I follow standards because they keep systems stable. Tagging conventions. Documentation requirements. Security checks. These aren’t bureaucratic nonsense—they’re the difference between a reliable service and one that’s constantly on fire.
The same logic applies to how you treat the people around you. Being professional doesn’t mean you can’t be yourself or have strong emotions. It means channeling those feelings into something productive instead of into public mockery.
If Voss had an issue with Petty’s play, he could have addressed it directly, played harder on the next contest, or let his performance do the talking. Instead, he chose a path that reflects poorly on him and distracts from the actual game.
In my experience, the strongest engineers and the strongest athletes aren’t the ones who mock others. They’re the ones who stay focused on the work, handle pressure with grace, and treat everyone with basic respect. That’s not about being weak or “soft.” It’s about being strong enough to rise above the noise.
If you’re building systems or building teams, remember: the way you handle difficult moments is what defines you, not the moments themselves.
Source: Petty behaviour: Docker cops flak for cry baby gesture
Rachel Adams
David Nguyen