The correct order for the introductory paragraph of this argumentative essay is;
Children under the age of twelve should be not be allowed to play tackle football. First, since the discovery of the degenerative brain disease, C.T.E., which is caused by repetitive hits to the head, the people who support tackle football have been put on the defensive-- and for good reason. Second, there are many safer options than tackle football for children who love athletics. Third, although there have been changes made to the equipment and rules of tackle football, it is still not safe enough. Americans value their children much more than a game, don't they?
An argumentative essay is one where the author makes a claim and provides facts and evidence to back it up.
In the argumentative text above, the claim is that "Children under the age of twelve should not be allowed to play tackle football." To support this claim, facts are reeled out in sequential order.
It makes sense to add a rhetorical question at the end which the reader answers based on the evidence provided.
Thus, the argumentative essay can be ordered in the above form.
Only use colons after statements that are complete sentences. Don't use it after a sentence fragment. It may be used between independent clauses when the second sentence explains the first sentence. Ex: He has three favorite movie genres: action, comedy, and drama.
