MANCHESTER — If you reviewed the list of musical performers headlining more than 200 concerts at Verizon Wireless Arena, you would never guess which one saw the most fans ejected.

Forget about any thrash metal or alternative rock band. Try clean cut Barry Manilow.

“I think it was upward of 15” fans ejected in February 2002, said Tim Bechert, the arena's general manager.

“That was incredibly unique,” he said, noting some of the fans turned disorderly after consuming alcohol. “That's not the norm for that genre or that specific act.”

Ushers, security and uniformed police officers help police the stands during sports and entertainment events in an effort to keep fans safe and happy.

Recent headlines put the spotlight on the industry after an off-duty Massachusetts police officer admitted he used a racial slur against Boston Red Sox outfielder Carl Crawford before a New Hampshire Fisher Cats game at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium this month.

Officials in charge of several local and regional sports and entertainment venues and teams said they don't expect to make changes — but will reinforce the message that such behavior isn't acceptable.

“Make sure everybody's on the same page that that isn't tolerated,” said Darren Abbott, president of the Manchester Monarchs hockey team. “I don't think anyone wants Manchester, N.H., in the news for anything like that.”

Fans risk ejection, arrest and possible loss of their season tickets depending on their level of misbehavior. Most tickets warn patrons of possible ejection.

Here's a look at how various venues deal with fan complaints:

New Hampshire Fisher Cats

Fisher Cats season ticket holders risk losing their tickets if they are unruly

“We haven't had to do that,” said Fisher Cats President Rick Brenner. “We'd be willing to do that....”

The team deploys ushers and full-time staff throughout the stadium. Fans can report concerns to the guest services center behind home plate.

Management will observe the area and talk with suspected troublemakers, or vice versa.

“Each situation is different,” Brenner said.

The Fisher Cats have 30 to 60 staffers on duty for games, depending on the crowd size, excluding concession operations. One to four Manchester officers also work the games.

Fans will be ejected if they are drunk or disorderly, swearing, using other foul language or discriminating against someone. He said “very few” fans have been ordered to leave.

“Oftentimes, we can cut things off before they happen,” he said. “We take very seriously our family-friendly environment at the park.”

Since the Crawford episode, team officials held multiple meetings with game-day and full-time staff that Brenner called “a refresher course.”

“Obviously, when something like this happens, it's an appropriate time to remind everyone here how important it is to ensure the environment is friendly for everyone,” he said.

Verizon Wireless Arena

The arena stations up to 50 ushers for sold-out concerts, handling issues such as people sitting in the wrong seats. They would radio a security supervisor for more serious matters, Bechert said. Nine times out of 10, security can remedy the situation, he said.

If it can't be resolved, “that person or individuals will be ejected,” Bechert said.

There also could be 30 to 40 security workers, depending on the crowd size, he said.

The arena also hires Manchester police officers to supplement security.

“Most events have a police detail,” Manchester police Lt. Maureen Tessier said. The “number of officers requested depends on the anticipated crowd and the type of event.”

Typically, two or three officers work inside the arena, with another three officers outside to deal with pedestrian and auto traffic, Tessier said. During the events, the outside officers patrol the surrounding area, she said.

Tessier didn't have any statistics on the number of people removed for disorderly behavior. “I would say ejections would be more frequent at a concert event as opposed to a hockey event,” said Tessier, who praised the arena security staff.

Bechert said there are “very few” fan ejections, but declined to give numbers.

If any fans put their hands on other patrons, staff member or police officer, he said, “they're out, and there's potential police action,” Bechert said.

Security observes people when they enter the building to see whether anything they consumed earlier is affecting their behavior.

“What they consumed before they came in doesn't kick in until after they've entered the building,” Bechert said.

He also receives updates from other arenas if there's something to watch for with a specific act coming to Manchester.

“We do our homework, and we are as prepared as anybody can be,” he said.

Bechert doesn't expect to make changes after the Crawford incident.

“We are very confident of the way we do things,” Bechert said. “I know what we do here at the arena is the industry's best practices, and we'll continue to operate that way.”

Manchester Monarchs

The Monarchs use the arena's ushers and security staff as well as Manchester police, Abbott said.

“Depending on the situation, the first thing would be for the usher to go down and talk to those people and say you can't do that,” he said.

Verbally abusive fans would be warned to stop or risk being ejected.

“If they were directly caught (uttering a racial slur), they would be tossed out,” Abbott said. “I don't think there's a place for that in our building.”

Abbott said a majority of its season ticket holders are families, who are not likely to cause trouble. He said no season tickets have been revoked since he joined the team in February 2010.

Ejections occur “very rarely,” citing perhaps one or two per season.

Abbott plans to talk with Bechert about security.

“Make sure everybody's on the same page,” he said.

New England Patriots

Fans can text the New England Patriots to report unruly fans during games at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

“That will alert security to an area to keep an eye on it,” said Stacey James, vice president of media relations for the Patriots.

Intoxicated fans sometimes are taken to a special area.

“Oftentimes, they'd be put in a little protective area where they sober up,” James said.

“I wouldn't call it a jail. I would call it a holding area,” he said.

James declined to give figures on how many people are ejected or held in the protective area.

The team makes announcements on what's not appropriate behavior.

“We're trying to create an environment where 70,000 people can enjoy the game and reminding people to be respectful of those around you,” James said.

“We try to deal with the issue as best as we can. Sometimes, asking the person to stop. Other times, if we see something egregious, we will step in and remove the patron from the area depending on what the cause is,” James said.

Fighting will get a fan ejected, James said.

James said fans are much better behaved today than when they played in Foxboro Stadium under former ownership, when “there was a lot of fights, a lot of arrests, a lot of problems.” Things changed when the Kraft family took over the team, James said.

From the late 1990s to early 2000s, the Patriots terminated season ticket accounts numbering “probably in the high dozens if not hundreds,” James said. He said he didn't know how many accounts have been terminated in recent years.

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Mike Cousineau may be reached at mcousineau@unionleader.com.