I started flipping through the pages looking at the ads. I came across "Hi-Res Soccer" and "Hi-Res Football" by On-line Systems on page 59. Looks like you can order by sending a check to the address in Coarsegold, CA! I laugh because I know where that is...it's a super tiny, backwater town in the Sierra Nevada where some of my family live. I'm amazed someone was using a computer there in 1981.
I decide I am going to send payment in an envelope to that address for one of these games from 1981-- a gag. Maybe if I'm lucky the old guy still lives there and they'll get a kick out of it.
Out of curiosity I decide to see if I can Google street view the address to make sure it's still there and see what it looks like. Google Street view isn't available for that address.
Instead, I Google 'On-line Systems' and the street address just to see what ended up happening to the company before I send my gag letter.
Turns out 'On-line Systems' in Coarsegold, CA was started by Ken and Roberta Williams. They later turned it into Sierra On-Line and moved.
Holy shit. The goofy ad on page 59 eventually grew into Sierra Entertainment.