Young Olympians need tax break to compete

Scott Herhold (Page 1B, Aug. 21) is dead wrong in his viewpoint regarding Olympians and tax breaks. He goes so far as to compare them to Tesla and other major for-profit companies. Really? These young Americans are the definition of starving students. They may have food to eat, but they have very little money to no money. They put it all on the line for years, surviving with help from their families. Most are not Michael Phelps. Yes, they do it for glory, but also for the glory of the everyone in the United States. And we encourage and revel in it. Most other countries give much more financial aid to their Olympians, because they are their national treasures. With all the money we waste on pointless programs and fluff, with taxpayers having little or no say, this is one tax break I would willingly support. Thank you, Olympians. You all make us proud. Joe Picone Santa Clara