1. Because it provides a layer of protection for the source providers. And because it's a pain in the ass to deal with individuals. Much easier to hand that off to someone else and let them deal with it.

2. All of them pretty much carry the same channels. Ask for a channel list for ones you might be interested in. It's hard to recommend providers as one that works good for one person might suck for another. Equipment, location, ISP's all make a difference.

I think the answer to your first question is fairly straight forward - It's a distribution model. It's the reason you have wholesellers and retailers, apart from the option of you buying directly from the manufacturer. Resellers buy in bulk for a lower price per-subscription, and then sell those subscriptions forward with a profit margin. You buy it because -

a) cheaper

and / or

b) you have to deal with someone who is managing a fraction of the total user base of the provider

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I can explain more, but I am assuming this should be enough.

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For your 2nd question - I am currently with Gold, which is pretty good. TVZOn is good too; though I prefer Gold over all else. Whatever provider you choose, I will recommend going on a month by month basis only. If there are any issues with the provider (like there was with Vader recently), the most you lose at any given time is one month's subscription.

For the same reason there's newspapers. Also, Vader's doesn't work because their servers were confiscated and they're being sued by the government.

1. You can order your subscription directly from the provider. There is a difference in price. Generally just a few dollars per month. No difference in quality because the source you're connecting to is the same.
2. I use Helix. They have the largest selection of local channels that I'm aware of. Every IPTV provider has sports.

What city do you live in? We have a lot of locals and always adding more.

Why is this asked everyday.