According to Sports Illustrated, "Jackson's particular genius was to recognize a wider application for the procedure than Watanabe ever did." Dr. Jackson realized the technique could be used for young, athletic patients that had suffered injuries. Torn knee cartilage or ligaments previously would require an arthrotomy procedure and might mean a year or more of rehab or the end of a career. Dr. Jackson believed the less invasive procedure with its smaller incisions would be able to save the career of injured athletes. While many were skeptical at first, Dr. Jackson's efforts to develop, teach and popularize the procedure helped to prolong the careers of athletes such as Bobby Orr, Willis Reed, Joan Benoit and Mary Lou Retton. For this, Dr. Jackson was named one of Sports Illustrated's forty most impactful people in sport's history, coming in at #37, and the only doctor on the list.