during his playing career, martin greatly influenced the evolution of the sport of curling into a competitive sport. he was an instrumental part of the group that brought about the grand slam of curling. in the early 2000s, he became the spokesperson for the promotion of the financial growth of curling, represented largely by the world curling tour, which was growing in popularity due to the benefits afforded by corporate sponsorship opportunities and cash prizes at tournaments. the martin-led boycott of the canadian curling association for its refusal to allow the developments in the world curling tour to be mirrored in the brier catalyzed not only the transformation of the brier, but also the growth of the grand slam, and in doing so, ultimately allowed the sport of curling to become a legitimate spectator sport. the development of the competitive tier of the sport also marked a change in both the players of the sport and the sport itself, as evidenced by improvements in the development and training of curlers as athletes and improvements in the quality of curling games due to better ice conditions and precision-based gameplay.