THE professional sports locker room. While it's a place that has been de-mystified somewhat by journalists and broadcasters, there's still something almost "other" about it. Indeed, for sports agents looking to sign new clients, this is the proving ground--the place where deals and careers can be made or broken.

As one of the last bastions of the good old boy network, the locker room, per se, is being infiltrated--slowly--by Black female sports agents who are bringing their expertise to the game. For instance, Kimberly N. Trammell and Sharon Creer are two Sisters who are taking sports representation to the next level--wheelin' and dealin' behind the scenes for the athletes they represent.

But they are among the exceptions. While the numbers aren't absolute, and it's hard to pin down exactly how many African-American women are having any measure of success, there are roughly 25 women out of more than 1,000 agents registered with the Black Sports Agents Association, according to Chairman Andre Farr. Although many women may refer to themselves as agents, it's the ones with client rosters who count.

Those client rosters have been difficult for Sisters to establish, but agents like Trammell and Creer have beaten the odds. For Trammell, president and CEO of Icon Management Inc., success came first with baby steps, beginning with the signing of her first client, Olympic hurdler Terrence Trammell, her brother-in-law. A native of Norfolk Va., and a lawyer by training, Trammell got her start working on Capitol Hill for Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) before moving to Atlanta and signing on with LaFace Records, where she became vice president of business and legal affairs