There are many dimensions of fear and anxiety in athletes and non-athletes. Most of the times athletes as well as others under potential stress are more anxious about failing to live up to social expectations (failure anxiety) than they are about the physical harm that might befall them in their forthcoming efforts. Motivation of athletes have been classified in various ways including the degree to which they reflect basic physiological or psychological needs as well as whether they reflect social motive. As athletes mature, the nature of what motivates them to perform may shift from the intrinsic motives of children to the external motives. The purpose of the present study is to compare the effect of anxiety and motivation on players and non-players. For this purpose, a sample of 35 players and 35 non-players were selected from various colleges of Punjabi University of age-group ranging between 20-25 years. The result of the study showed that anxiety level of non-players is greater than players. This may be due to the fact that they experience anxious movements so many times during their game, that’s why they are habitual of it. It was found that there exists no significant difference in motivation level of players and non-players. The results of the present study can be useful to Indian coaches, selectors, camp holders and physical educators as aid for studying the anxiety and motivation level of sportsmen during competitions.