My idea here is that you shouldn't have a reason to play a race. I want to play an half-orc druid (my go to example) not because it's strong, but because it sounds cool. In the past I was punished for this idea with a subpar stat, that controls every check my character is ever going to do, and now I can just do it and have fun.
The PHB rules let you already do this. I could see an issue if they still had stat penalties like in 3.x or the old AD&D rules, but they got rid of that (unfortunately).
You weren't punished with subpar stat... you were challenged to overcome it. You know, like being a great druid despite your orcblood? Now it's all about min/maxing and anyone who doesn't want optimal stats for their characters gets laughed at.
Yes, that certainly has improved freedom of choice...
